Pecan Cherry Dunking Cookie Recipe

It doesn’t happen around here much, but I have a recipe for you today.  A Christmas cookie recipe.  It is the second week of December and in my house that means one thing – time to bake – bake Christmas cookies for my friend Karen’s annual cookie exchange party.   Over the years, this party has become more about getting together with good friends than the cookies – but who doesn’t like Christmas cookies?  They seem to be everywhere – even in the latest issue of Ladies Home Journal with Ina Garten on the cover?

Did you see the article?  I would have loved to been one of the bloggers invited to her home in East Hampton, NY for a recent cookie exchange that was featured in the magazine.  Looks like they had a good time.   (If you are new to my blog – Ina is my favorite, even though I don’t enjoy cooking  – I love her and her style.  You could call me one of Ina’s non-foodie groupies – big time!)

Back to my reality and my friend Karen’s cookie exchange party.  In previous years, I have made cut out, iced, sprinkled, and even pretzel reindeers for the annual cookie exchange. None of them matched my expectations, but when I presented them in a pretty way, it made up for my lack of baking perfection.

This year I have decided – refrigerator cookies are just my style  – they are homemade and delicious, but don’t require a lot of time and fuss.  What Ina is all about, right?

These are not one of Ina’s recipes, but one that Karen made for her party a few years ago.  My family loved them dunked in a tall glass of cold milk and since then they have become a holiday staple in my house.

I received an email a few weeks ago from Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms inviting me to enter their Most Dunkable Cookie Contest.  I decided why not go for it since I am going to be making cookies any way.  My youngest is home and between she and Ed, they can go through a few gallons of this milk a week.  Milk and cookies  – nothing could be better.

I tweaked the recipe a little by rolling them in sanding sugar before baking instead of rolling in powered sugar after baking – they are just as good and dunkable either way.  (Sanding sugar is the colored sugar used to embellish baked goods.  It comes in lots of different colors. I used clear/white.  You can buy it at any grocery store in basic colors.  There is a store near me that sells it in every imaginable color and different size granule’s.)

Pecan Cherry Dunkers

These are so easy to make – mix all the ingredients and then roll into logs and refrigerate. When chilled, all that is left to do is slice and bake. Cut them about ¼” thick – perfect for dunking into a cold glass of milk or hot coffee or tea.

Printable .pdf of recipe:  Pecan Cherry Dunkers

Gather the ingredients:  1 cup butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 egg, 1 tsp. vanilla, 2 ¼ cups flour, 1 cup chopped pecans, 2 cups candied cherries, 2 cups sanding sugar.

Cream the butter and sugar.

Add the egg, flour, and vanilla.

Add the pecans and cherries.

Cut dough into thirds and roll each into a log. Cover with wax paper and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Once chilled, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Roll the edges or entire slice into sanding sugar.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes on the middle oven rack.

Now, I just have to hide them so we don’t eat them all before the cookie exchange party later in the week.

Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms milk is now in Pure Protect bottles to ensure taste and nutrition won’t be lost. You can find out more about it on their facebook page.   If you would like to enter more than once – like them on facebook or tell a few friends and leave me another comment telling me you did. I will choose the winners on December 16th.

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Tagged as: Christmas Cookie Recipe, Easy Cookie Recipes, Milk and Cookies