White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread


 
This recipe caught my eye on Pinterest with the simple caption: “Apparently, the best Christmas cookie ever.” “Best” piqued my interest, and “ever” drove it home.  How could I possibly ignore the recipe for the best Christmas cookie ever?

So I decide to make it on a whim and take it to my friend’s house as my contribution to her annual cookie swap. I had already made a couple of other kinds of cookies but this one seemed like it would be my show-stopper.

Besides, I have never been able to truly master shortbread, and I thought this might be the recipe to change my unlucky streak. Not quite. This is a pretty cookie yes, but it’s also a high-maintenance one. Unlike classic shortbread, it’s delicate and doesn’t hold its form well.

 

What really bothered me though, and I swear I’m not this insecure about everything, is that no one ever said these were tasty, I think they were just OK. For met my part, I liked the underlying hint of cherry-almond but I wished the cookie was a bit more dense.

Here’s the thing: I love maraschino cherries – I even eat them straight out of the jar. But I know a lot of people detest them, and so perhaps it was the underlying maraschino cherry flavour that threw people off.

It’s subtle, though, and I don’t think you would be able to identify it unless told it was there. And I didn’t tell people it was there unless they asked what kind of cookies they were. If you want to try this yourself (and if I haven’t turned you off yet) you can find the recipe at the Better Homes and Gardens website.

Substitutions: In the original recipe you’ll see they’ve used red and white jimmies to dip the cookies in, I used Christmas-coloured nonpareils and plain white ones. You be the judge of which you prefer. I don’t think the Christmas-colours quite work with the delicate pink of this cookie, however.
My husband told me he liked the cookies straight out of the oven, before I dipped them in white chocolate and sprinkles but I firmly disagree, they need a mellow taste to round them out, and the crunch of the sprinkles is a satisfying counterpoint to the crumbly cookie.

Would I make this again? Honestly, probably not, I don’t think it was worth all the effort. If I’m going to go to all the trouble of making dozens of cookies and then dipping them, I’d probably make nut-based ones that have a longer shelf life and seem to find greater appeal among the masses.

Grade: Four stars out of five. These would make great additions to a princess-themed birthday, or a tea party or even bridal shower. I just don’t think they’re show-stoppers all on their lonesome. And they’re not festive nor flavourful enough to be the ideal Christmas cookie. Next?


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Comments

2 responses to “White-Chocolate Cherry Shortbread”

  1. Jennifer Avatar

    This one was on my short list for my Christmas baking. Thanks for saving me the trouble! Although they are very pretty…

  2. Mary Avatar

    No problemo!