Chocolate Chip Cherry Blondies

 

 

Hi Ho Cherry O! These blondies are delish! As we have already established, cherries are my favorite fruit and always make me think of my Grandma Clarke.  When I saw this recipe and the combo of cherries and chocolate, I knew this recipe was for me. And the best thing about it: "It is EASY." I had all the basic ingredients in my cabinet, had just been to the store and was the victim of good product placement; there were huge bags of Bing cherries displayed as soon as I walked in the door. Sucker!! So, one night after work I made these and I have to admit, I ate 3. I know, I know... I have to go to the beach in 1 week... But don't worry, I quickly  had 2 ideas! I wrapped the rest of this batch up and hid them (from myself) to take to work the next day. They were raved over and did not make it past lunch time. And then, the next night I made a fresh batch to freeze for the beach. Evil?? How?? Muhahaha!!!

 

Santa's Whiskers

Santa would love these cherry filled cookies!

Guess what? I made something with cherries in it.... Again!!! I know hard to believe. I love cherries! Some of my friends must love cherries too because quite a few of them requested this Christmas cookie that I have adopted into my regular Christmas baking routine. No cherry cookie will ever outshine the Cherry Bonbon that is always in the center of every Christmas cookie tray I send out, but this is a close second. I love the festive color of this cookie and its great chewy texture. I know that this is a cookie a lot of bloggers and bakers have spoken about and there must be a reason for that right.... because they are Yummy! And of course anything with the word Santa in, kids will love.

As I travel from the warmth of South Carolina to the the chilly temps of Pennsylvania, I am looking forward to seeing family and sharing in the holiday traditions that have made Christmas the most special day of the whole year for me. Although it was not the Christmas I expected to have this year, I am embracing the love from my family and the Hope that they will instill in me to start my New Year. This holiday I hope that all my readers are surrounded by those that they love and cherish, that good luck comes your way in the New Year and that your home is filled with love, laughter and plenty of Christmas cookies.
XOXO and Merry Christmas!

Rebecca

White Chocolate, Cranberry, Pecan Bites

I just wanted to share this quick little recipe. I have been getting some questions from followers about what they can take to their Christmas party. This is a great recipe because it is super simple and you only need to know how to use a microwave.  I don't know anyone who can not "nuke" something. Give it a try! Your friends and family will be impressed. I guarantee!

Grandma Ethel's Fruit Salad

Grandma's Fruit Salad

This is another one of those recipes that I must have on a holiday for it to really be special- my Grandma Ethel's fruit salad. This salad in not hard to make and it is the perfect sweet accompaniment to any dinner.  We  always ate it as a side dish not dessert. It allows for a little bit of sweetness in an otherwise savory meal. As a child, this was the special dish that I waited for on special occasions and one of the main reasons was it's "cherry factor."  I told you I love cherries. My Grandma always knew this and would add just a few extra (a whole jar) for my sister and me.
One of the special memories that I have of my Grandma Ethel was the numerous family dinners that she had for holidays. At her house,she had this huge dining table stuck in this little room. There would be 12 or more people around the table, but once everyone got seated no one could get up or out of the room. We were in there tight.  My sister and I would have special seats; one on either side of Grandma. Everyone would sit, eat and talk; passing the dishes along, person to person, family style. Once everyone got their share, the fruit salad would always end up back in front of my Grandma. She would then proceed to pick cherries out of the remaining salad and give them to my sister and me. Our parents would give us a disapproving look and protest mildly but Grandma always won and so did we!

Cherry Bonbons

So I only see it fitting to have my first post be about my favorite cookie of all time and therefore the name of my blog: the Cherry Bonbon. This has been my absolute favorite cookie since I have been a very little girl. It was originally made by my Grandma Ethel and then by my mother and now by me. It is not a holiday in my house if a Cherry bonbon has not passed over my lips. This cookie is amazingly sweet and is usually the star of cookie trays that I give out at Christmas; especially for those sugar lovers like myself.




Cherries draining

   As you can see in my about section above, I am a self-proclaimed lover of all things cherry. This recipe along with some of my other cherry recipes was passed down from my Grandma Ethel. She was an amazing baker and was one of those old time cooks that did not necessarily write everything down in a lot of detail. She was just comfortable with her recipes and knew the texture of dough or doneness of a pie without having a written recipe to follow. That is very much how I received this recipe. No amount of time noted to bake the cookie for and very few written instructions. The majority of instructions, I have learned through my mom or my own trial and error. I have tried to write the complete recipe here in detail so you can reproduce this amazing little cherry delight!