2011 Cookie Challenge: Soft Lemonade Cookies

Spring time in the rockies can be quite a roller coaster.  It was only a few weeks that it was 80 degrees and sunny!  This morning it was snowing and gloomy. I have been loving the rain we have been getting recently, as it is much needed - it's been a really dry winter. I'm hoping my lawn can get ahead start before it gets hot and I have to water regularly. So to brighten the day I made lemonade cookies - in remembering that soon enough it'll be warm and sunny and able to enjoy the outdoors!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup thawed lemonade concentrate, divided
• Additional sugar

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with 1/3 cup lemonade concentrate, beating well after each addition.
• Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes. Remove to wire racks. Brush with remaining lemonade concentrate; sprinkle with sugar. Cool. Yield: 6 dozen.

2011 Cookie Challenge: Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

These cookies are really rich, you don't need many to really get a good taste and the flavor is wonderful! They are much like those chocolate covered cherries you can find during the holidays only in cookie form! Enjoy and Share! :)

Ingredients

                      1/2 c. butter

                      1 c. sugar

                      1 egg

                      1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

                      1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

                      1/2 c. baking cocoa

                      1/4 tsp salt

                      1/4 tsp baking powder

                      1/4 tsp baking soda

                      maraschino cherries, blotted dry (enough for each cookie)

           


FROSTING:

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk

1 to 3 tsp maraschino cherry juice

Directions

In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture (batter will be very firm). Shape into 48 balls, about 1 in. round, and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Push one cherry halfway into each ball, immediately after removing from the oven.

For frosting, melt chocolate chips in milk in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; add cherry juice and stir until smooth. Spoon 1 teaspoon of frosting over each cherry to cover completely (this also helps keep the cherry on the cookie!

Cool on wire racks.