My Gift to You - White Chocolate and Cherry Brandy Bites

This is recipe is my own creation based on a cookie I saw in a magazine. Brandy soaked tart dried cherries are mixed with white chocolate, nutmeg, and orange zest to create a confection just for adults. Unless, of course, your children have developed a taste for hard liquor. In that case, hide the brandy and these cookies!

1 cup sweet, unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour ( I use King Arthur All Purpose)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
about 12 oz dried tart cherries ( I use Montmorency)
zest of one large orange
about 10 oz chopped white chocolate
750 mL or larger bottle of brandy



Pour the cherries and brandy into a bowl and let the cherries soak for at least 30 minutes. They can soak longer, too - no worries. Once you're ready to use them, drain off the brandy.

Preheat oven to 350.   Cream the sugars and butter until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until thick and fluffy. Don't rush this part! You'll see the butter mixture change texture and color. When it's thick, fluffy, and lighter than it was to begin with, you're ready to move on to the next step. I don't use a stand mixer. Instead, I use an old school Kitchen Aide hand mixer.

In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Dump the flour mixture on top of the butter mixture along with the drained cherries and white chocolate. Adding the cherries and chocolate now ensures they'll be coated with flour which helps keep the cherries from sinking to the bottom of the cookie. Mix the moist and dry ingredients but don't over mix!!! The more you mix the flour, the more gluten you create which produces a tough cookie. Just mix to combine. It should only take about a minute.

Ready for the cookie sheet

Bake on an insulated cookie sheet for 14 minutes or so. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a foil or parchment lines counter top. I never use a cooling rack. It promotes air circualtion and gives you a dry cookie. Once the cookies are cool, store them in an air tight container. Your stomach works well! These are even better the next day.

Yum! If you make these, let me know how they turned out!