We are planning to have a vacation in the near future and we are all so excited. We will be sharing a beach condominium block with several members of our extended family and a few friends. I have been planning and trying to stretch my budget to accommodate all of the different needs that we will encounter with a large number of people to feed, so I have been doing some baking ahead to save money and time (I don’t want to spend my entire vacation cooking after all!).

This weekend, I baked three different types of cookies. One of these was a variation/experiment on a recipe I’ve done before, but it turned out so yummy that I just had to share it with you when my hubby told me that THIS is worthy of a weekend wonders post

I think he liked the cookies!

Dark Chocolate and Cherry Cookies

In your mixer, blend together:
1½ cups butter, softened
½ cup oil or applesauce
1½ cups white sugar
1½ cups brown sugar

Then add to the above:
1 TBSP Vanilla
2 tsp Amaretto extract
5 eggs (add one at a time, blending well after each addition)

Mix these dry ingredients together:
2 TBSP baking soda
1½ tsp salt
4 cups unbleached white flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp cinnamon

Add dry ingredients gradually to the sugar, butter and egg mixture in the mixer.

Stir in:
1 12-ounce bag dark chocolate chips
about 40 Maraschino Cherries, drained and quartered.

Place a baking mat (or wax paper) on your countertop and dust generously with flour.

Place all of the dough onto the floured mat and then knead in enough flour to make your dough like a thick bread dough. Continue kneading until the chocolate chips begin falling out, a few at a time, as you knead. This is when you know that they are finished mixing.

Make large balls with the dough, about the size of a golf-ball, and then flatten slightly with the palm of your hand before placing them on your cookie sheet.

Bake at 350° F for 10-13 minutes, just until they are barely browned. They won’t look like they are done, but you don’t want them to or they won’t stay chewy. The texture you are looking for is a slight crispness on the outside and a soft, chewy texture on the inside.

Yields about 60 large cookies.

Husband Pleasers!

Delicious!

I know, it’s summer, and you don’t want to heat up your kitchen right now. I baked mine in the morning so that I could turn the oven off by noon, before it started getting hot, and our house didn’t heat up, at least not that any of us noticed.

Now, to start sorting through what clothing to bring…