Cherry Big Deal Cookies
These bite sized treats go by many names, including Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cookies. My version combines seasonal cherries with a dash of Big Deal Imperial Stout to kick things up a notch.
- 3/4 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons Big Deal Imperial Stout
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup fresh pitted cherries, or tart canned cherries, drained of juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- additional powdered sugar
Combine butter, sugar, vanilla, and Big Deal in a mixing bowl. Stir with a spatula vigorously until combined, light, and fluffy. Alternatively, use a hand mixer or stand mixer if available. We didn’t add much stout to the recipe, so you should have plenty left to drink while recovering from all that mixing.
Next, add flour, cherries, and salt and mix just until combined. Try not to over-mix or the cookies will turn out denser and more crumbly.
Use a small teaspoon or scoop, and portion into small, one inch balls. Roll in the palms of your hands to make as round as possible, and place them on a baking pan lined with parchment or oven-safe waxed paper. Bake at 400º F for 6-8 minutes, or just until they begin to darken in color. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely before rolling in the extra powdered sugar and enjoying. Yum!
Meet our new “Resident Chef, ” Dana Johnson of Sugar Cubed Pastry Lab
Certified by the largest organization of professional chefs in the country, the American Culinary Federation, as an Executive Pastry Chef, with over 16 years of professional baking experience.
Chef Dana is also credited with creating the first vocational pastry program in the state of Florida at Manatee Technical College, having written the curriculum for the Florida Department of Education in 2011.
He is also a former baking and pastry chef instructor, chapter secretary of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, and holds six medals in international baking and pastry competitions.