Something new for ’22.
No not poetry. Recipes that conjure up wistful memories. Sometimes from the distant past and sometimes more recent.
I’m visiting Mom this week, so all sorts of wistful memories float around in my brain.
Yesterday, I asked Mom if she still makes Cherry Winks.
“Yes, but they don’t turn out the same.”
That got us talking about all sorts of recipes that no longer work the way they did in the past. Maybe the ingredients changed formulation. Maybe the package sizes changed. I swear cake mixes are smaller than they were in the past.
Cherry winks brought back two childhood memories. You can read about them at my other blog, Once a Little Girl.
Cherry Winks were my sister Deanna’s favorite cookie.
Deanna lives in a city known for its Cherry Festival. Maybe it was fate.
In an effort to update our old recipe, I consulted the internet. This recipe is from Pillsbury.
What you need:
- 1cup sugar
- 3/4cup shortening
- 2tablespoons milk
- 1teaspoon vanilla
- 2eggs
- 2 1/4cups all-purpose flour
- 1teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2teaspoon salt
- 1cup chopped pecans
- 1cup chopped dates
- 1/3cup chopped maraschino cherries, patted dry with paper towels
- 1 1/2cups coarsely crushed corn flakes cereal
- 15maraschino cherries, quartered
How to Prepare
- In large bowl, beat sugar and shortening with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until well blended. Beat in milk, vanilla and eggs. On low speed, beat in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, scraping bowl occasionally, until dough forms. Stir in pecans, dates and 1/3 cup chopped cherries. If necessary, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes for easier handling.
- Heat oven to 375°F. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into cereal; coat thoroughly. Shape into balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Lightly press maraschino cherry quarter into top of each ball.
- Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.
How to Enjoy
Well, if you read my Once a Little Girl posts, you know I don’t like these cookies. At all. Still, just about everyone else does. So pour a glass of milk or a cup of coffee and tell me how you enjoyed them. I’m sure Deanna would like to hear.
Now I feel even more wistful.
Do you have recipes that bring up memories? I’d love to hear about them. Please leave a link to your blog/instagram/facebook post.
Hmmm.. now my recipe has some great memories attached to it. I can feel the memories piling up.