It's Time to Bake!

If you know me at all, you know I love to bake!  You also know that I love chocolate.  Sooooo give me the chance and I will bake something chocolate! Here's my chance...we are having a cookie swap on Saturday.  I needed to bake 6 dozen cookies!  Really, this is my kind of challenge.  I'm revealing to you today the Deen/Hughes Chocolate Cherry Christmas Cookie.:)  OK, yes, this recipe is really Paula Deen's.  It is her chocolate gooey butter cookies recipe.  However, I added a couple of ingredients which make them special and make them "Christmasy".  I love them and I just hope everyone else does!  Here's the recipe:

1 block cream cheese, softened

1 stick of butter, softened

1 egg, room temp

1 t. vanilla

1 box chocolate cake mix

1/2 bag white chocolate chips

1 cup candied cherries, chopped

Oh yes, did I mention that there are candied cherries in these cookies?  Surprise!  They are the kind of cherries that are normally in fruit cakes. (yuck)  I decided to try it, though, to add a little touch of red for Christmas.  Think-chocolate covered cherry.  I really like them in the cookie and think they give them a little flair.  If you don't like them-leave them out!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix butter and cream cheese together with mixer.  Mix the egg in and then the vanilla.  Add the cake mix, a little at a time, until incorporated.  Don't overmix.  Fold in the white chocolate chips and candied cherries.  Chill dough for 2 hours.  Form tablespoon-sized balls of dough and put 1-1 1/2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.  I use a little cookie scoop which works really well.  Bake for 10-12 minutes-cookies should still be shiny on the top.  They should stay gooey!!

   Aren't they pretty?  I made them "Christmasy" but there could be tons of variations such as adding peanut butter chips, Andes mint chips, or nuts instead of white chocolate and cherries.  Let me know if you try them!