Cherry Vanilla Pecan Cookies

Baker's Dozen!

I combined my favorite vanilla sugar cookie recipe, which I've modified over the years from Taste of Home magazine with another recipe idea I saw in the Houston Chronicle recently.  I liked the idea of cherries and pecans.   But not their recipe ingredients of maraschino cherries and confectioner's sugar instead of regular sugar.  I used dried Bing cherries instead from Costco (cutting in half, they were huge!) and a cup of pecans, which I broke into pieces after "toasting" in the microwave.  Then I added Wilton's Pink food coloring gel and sprinkled pink and white sanding sugar on top before baking for even more pinky bling.

Happy Valentine's Day!
And "Go Red" Month, too!  Cherries are "good for you" with lots of anthocyanins - queritrin and ellagic acid.


CHERRY VANILLA PECAN COOKIES


1/2 cup (minus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well.
Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Yield: about 3-1/2 dozen.
Nutritional Facts
2 cookies equals 109 calories, 5 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 22 mg cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, 16 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 1 g protein.