White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies.

I am excited to devote lots of time from now until December 25th to baking and making candies for Christmas! Welcome to the bakery!

Up first...my cookie exchange cookie. White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies. I always try a new recipe for the exchange - making a single batch until I know the final product is deserving. And these - they are deserving!

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies

(Recipe adapted from Better Homes & Gardens)

.5 cup maraschino cherries - drained & chopped (I used my mini food processor this - it worked perfectly)

2.5 cups flour

.5 cup sugar

1 cup cold butter

splash of cherry juice

1 cup white chocolate - chopped

.5 teaspoon almond extract

3 drops red food coloring

white chocolate & sprinkles for dipping

Place flour, sugar, and butter into a food processor and pulse until mixture looks like fine crumbs. (You can also accomplish this using a pastry blender). Place mixture in large bowl. Add cherries, splash of cherry juice, chopped white chocolate, almond extract, and food coloring. Knead mixture until it forms a ball.

Shape dough into balls - about .75-1.00 inches. Press balls flat using the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 10 minutes. Cook on cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then move to cooling rack.

Once cookies are cool, melt some additional white chocolate and dip half of the cookie into the chocolate and then into sprinkles. Allow chocolate to harden.

Eat within a couple days or freeze for a couple months.

My favorite part of these cookies - giving the KitchenAid a break and using my hands!! It was kind of fun playing with the dough! And I had never used my food processor for dough before. I think I might be able to attempt another pie crust. Food processor and cold butter equals success!