christmas cherry balls

★★★★★ 2
a recipe by
Val Paris
Rome, NY

Another traditional Christmas cookie recipe. They're good for any time of year, but they are a must on our cookie platter. This is a combination of many recipes, suited to my oldest daughter's taste. She's the fussy one in the family!

Blue Ribbon Recipe

This cookie is a great treat anytime but will be a beautiful addition to your Christmas cookies. They bake soft and tender with chunks of cherries and nuts. The cookie itself is not overly sweet. Once the glaze is added there is just the right amount of sweetness. In the Test Kitchen, we added almond flavoring and loved that flavor combined the sweetness of the cherry. Very festive!

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
★★★★★ 2
prep time 25 Min
cook time 12 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For christmas cherry balls

  • FOR COOKIES
  • 1 1/4 c
    oil
  • 1 c
    sugar
  • 2
    eggs
  • 1/2 c
    milk
  • 2 1/2 tsp
    baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt
  • 1 tsp
    vanilla or almond flavoring
  • 1/4
    of a 10 oz. bottle of maraschino cherries, reserving 1/2 of a bottle of cherry juice
  • 5-5 1/2 c
    all-purpose flour
  • nuts, chopped
  • red food coloring
  • FOR ICING
  • 1 1/2 c
    powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp
    almond extract
  • enough cherry juice and water to thin the glaze to proper consistency

How To Make christmas cherry balls

  • Wet ingredients stirred together in a bowl.
    1
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together oil, eggs, milk, cherry juice, and vanilla or almond flavoring.
  • Dry ingredients sifted together.
    2
    Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
  • Slowly adding dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
    3
    Add red food coloring to color desired. Then gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet.
  • Stirring in cherries.
    4
    Stir in chopped cherries and nuts. The dough will be very thick.
  • Forming dough into balls.
    5
    Form into balls.
  • Cookies baking in the oven.
    6
    Bake 10-12 minutes.
  • Adding a glaze to the cookies.
    7
    Frost with your favorite frosting or glaze when cookies are completely cooled. Add sprinkles if desired.
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