I was thinking about Valentine's Day and what type of cookies would be a natural fit for this great holiday. So heart-shaped plus chocolate had to be part of this cookie. I also saw I had 3 oz of cream cheese leftover from another cookie, which I wanted to use. I decided on the cream cheese spritz cookies. The spritz maker that I had did not have a heart-shaped disk, so I went on the hunt.
My daughter gave me a gift certificate to A.C. Moore for Christmas, the week after she bought it, they announced another company bought them. Closing means A.C. Moore would be having a clearance sale of everything. They had a helpful baker section, so I went to see what was left. They had one spritz maker left on the shelf, and don't you know it had a heart-shaped disk. I mean, what were the odds!
Over the next four weeks (including this one) I will make four different Valentine's Day cookies, so come back to see what I post for next Sunday.
Chocolate Heart Spritz Cookies with Cherries
Barbara HallIngredients
- 1 cup Butter unsalted 2 sticks room temperature
- 3 ounces Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Sugar white 198 g
- 1 Egg yolk
- ¼ teaspoon Almond extract
- ½ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder 42 g
- 2-¼ cups All-purpose flour 270 g
- 16 ounces Maraschino cherries cut cherries in half
Instructions
- In a bowl weigh or measure sugar and set aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour, cocoa powder running a whisk through to blend. Using a stand or hand-held mixer, add the butter and cream cheese and mix till incorporated. Add the sugar and blend till they are of smooth consistency.
- Add the egg yolk and almond extract and mix till blended. Turn the mixer down and slowly add the flour cocoa mix. I scrape down the sides plus the bottom and mix for another 30 seconds. I move the dough out of the mixer bowl to a microwave-safe dish and microwave the cookie dough for 10 to 15 seconds. I found the easiest way to add to the barrel of the cookie press is to spoon it into the barrel. With cream cheese in the dough, my cookie dough a little softer it seems to work better in the cookie press.
- Press the cookies straight onto the cookie sheet pan, no need for parchment paper. They do not spread much so you can put them fairly close together. Cut the maraschino cherries in half and place one in the middle of each cookie. Bake at 375° for 9-11 minutes. After baking, leave on the cookie pan for 1 minute before moving them to a rack for cooling.
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