Cherry Winks

Mom always made Cherry Winks before Christmas, and it's a favorite family Christmas cookie recipe that I made a few days ago to surprise my family this weekend. (Mom also hand-quilted the pretty Christmas tree placemats for us about 20 years ago, and they are so special and festive on our table. I'm so glad she made a set of 6! Thank you, Mom!)

Cherry Winks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift 2 1/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Blend 3/4 cup softened butter and 1 cup sugar in a mixing bowl.
Add 2 eggs, 2 Tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat well into the butter and sugar.

Then blend in the dry ingredients using a mixer.

Add 1 cup chopped dates, 1 cup chopped pecans, and 1/3 cup chopped maraschino cherries.

Drop dough by teaspoon into crushed corn flakes and roll to coat each cookie.
Place each onto a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Press thumbprint into center. Add 1/2 maraschino cherry on top in the depression.

Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden.
Store in a tightly covered container to keep moist.

When the Cherry Winks were finished, I tried the Chocolate Peanut Clusters recipe my cousin Dianne shared on The Elling Family News site. Thanks, Dianne!

Here's a photo of some of them. These can easily become addictive. And I've found it's impossible to hide them from chocoholics.

Enjoy, enjoy!