Cherries Jubilee Cookies

September 24:National Cherries Jubilee Day

We avoid flambéing our foods because we do not want to cause a fire in our complex and upset our neighbors on either side of our walls. So we find recipes that can be adapted for the food holiday, like these cherries jubilee cookies for National Cherries Jubilee Day. They are soft and crumbly and uniquely spiced. The main “jubilee” ingredients are the chewy dried cherries that have been soaked in cherry-flavored brandy—without the flambé! Cherries jubilee is often served with vanilla ice cream and these cookies would be a good accompaniment as well as a teatime treat. Cheers to cherries jubilee cookies on National Cherries Jubilee Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from “Country Home Magazine”)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried cherries
  • ½ cup brandy (we used Kirshwasser)
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • ¾ cup sugar, granulated white (plus more for coating the cookies)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

Directions

In a saucepan, combine the dried cherries with the brandy. Simmer for a minute or two, pressing down on the cherries to release their juices to mix with the brandy. Remove from heat and let stand for half an hour. Drain and reserve two tablespoons of the liquid.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Add the whole egg and egg yolk. Stir in the two tablespoons of reserved cherry liquid. In a separate bowl, combine the flour with Chinese five spice powder.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until a sticky dough is formed. Fold in the cherries and blend thoroughly. Scoop and roll into one-inch balls. Place at least an inch apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest on the cookie sheet for about five minutes. Roll the warm cookies in a bowl of granulated sugar. Cool completely on a wire rack. Yield: Approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Notes

  • The original recipe calls for rolling the unbaked cookie dough balls in sugar. But they tasted better when they were rolled after baking to give a nicer texture and taste.
  • Search our blog for other recipes containing cherries.