Cherry-Filled Heart Cookies
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3-1/2 cups flour
2 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Filling
1/2 sugar
4-1/2 tsps. cornstarch
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup red maraschino cherry juice
12 red maraschino cherries, chopped
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
Additional sugar
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and shortening; gradually add sugar.
Add egg, milk and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to
creamed mixture. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2
hours. For filling, combine sugar and cornstarch in a small
saucepan. Add juices, cherries and butter. Bring to a boil; boil and
stir 1 minute. Chill.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness;
cut with a 2-1/2 inch heart-shaped cookie cutter dipped in flour.
Place half of the cookies on greased baking sheets; spoon 1/2 tsp.
filling in the center of each. Use a 1-1/2 inch heart-shaped cutter
to cut small hearts out of the center of the other half of the
cookies. (Bake small heart cutouts separately.) Place the remaining
hearts over filled cookies; press edges together gently. Fill
centers with additional filling if needed. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake
at 375� for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire
racks. Yield: 4-1/2 dozen filled cookies. |