Old Fashioned Cherry Winks Cookies With Corn Flakes

Made with corn flakes and maraschino cherries, this old fashioned cherry winks cookies recipe tastes and looks delicious! It’s been a favorite in my family for decades.

This old fashioned cherry winks cookies recipe has been around for a long time.

And there’s a reason for that!

They are a delicious addition to your holiday baking.

With crunchy corn flakes on the outside and a tender chewy cookie packed with goodies on the inside, they look pretty and taste delicious.

These crisply coated cookies were a favorite when I was growing up.

They are also an attractive addition to your holiday cookie plate when decorated with green and red cherries.

And you can make them both gluten-free and dairy-free if you so choose (see the substitutions below).

Ingredients

Here is your shopping list:

• baking supplies – 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 6 Tablespoons shortening, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
• dairy – 2 Tablespoons milk, 6 Tablespoons butter
• eggs – 2 large
• flavoring – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• nuts and fruit – 1 cup pecans, 1 cup dates, 1/3 cup maraschino cherries (or candied cherries) plus 12 more for putting on top of the cookies
• cornflakes

Substitutions

To Make Gluten-Free Cookies

• Substitute measure-for-measure gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour. I tested with this one from King Arthur and you couldn’t tell the difference.
• Make sure you are using gluten-free corn flakes (Kellogg’s are not gluten-free since it contains malt)

To Make Dairy-Free Cookies

• Use all shortening instead of the half shortening / half butter mix. Don’t worry…the original recipe used all shortening so this isn’t going to ruin the taste.
• Substitute maraschino cherry juice instead of the milk. This gives the cookies a slight cherry flavor and a little bit of a pink color inside. But they taste just as good (some people like them even better this way!)

Other Substitutions

• You can use all butter (which gives the cookies a richer flavor) or all shortening (which gives them a better texture) instead of the half and half mixture. But I think using half butter and half shortening produces the best combination of flavor and texture.
• For extra crunch, roll the cookies in crushed frosted flakes instead of corn flakes.

How to Make Cherry Winks Cookies

The Prep Work

Take the milk, eggs and butter out of the refrigerator a couple of hours ahead of time to let them warm to room temperature.

Pre-heat the oven to 375℉.

Line a rimless cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Or if you don’t have parchment paper, grease it by rubbing it with a thin layer of shortening or spraying with cooking spray. Don’t use butter for this since it can cause the cookies to burn.

Pat the maraschino or candied cherries dry with a paper towel.

Chop the pecans, dates and maraschino (or candied) cherries. A food processor will make this job go faster. Set aside.

Cut 12 maraschino cherries into quarters.

Put 3½ cups of cornflakes onto a rimmed cookie sheet or sheet of waxed paper and crush them with the rolling pin. Set aside.

Sift the flour. Pre-sifting the flour before measuring makes it less dense which results in fluffier cookies.

Prepare The Dry Ingredients

Put 2¼ cups of the sifted flour into the sifter again along with 1 teaspoon of double-acting baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt.

When measuring dry ingredients use dry measuring equipment and lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cups. You want the flour to be light and airy.

Fill to heaping, then scrape straight across the top letting the excess fall back into its container.

Do not tap the sides or bang the measuring cup on the counter.

Sift onto a piece of waxed paper or into a medium bowl.

Make Butter Mixture

Put 6 Tablespoons butter and 6 Tablespoons shortening into the large mixing bowl and beat until it is soft.

Gradually add 1 cup of white sugar while continuing to beat the butter mixture.

Keep beating on high speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary until the mixture is fluffy and light.

Beat in 2 eggs until well mixed.

The sugar should be dissolved and the batter needs to look whipped.

This creaming of the ingredients is very important to produce the fine texture of the cookies once they are baked.

Mix in 2 Tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

With mixer on low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients one third at a time.

Beat only until flour is moistened. Over-mixing will cause the cookies to be tough.

With a mixing spoon, stir in 1 cup of chopped pecans, 1 cup of chopped dates, and 1/3 cup of chopped maraschino cherries.

Roll The Cookies

Now shape the dough into balls using a rounded teaspoonful at a time.

The dough is pretty sticky (which you need to make the cornflakes stick).

To keep from getting it all over my fingers, I like to use 2 teaspoons to take the dough out of the bowl and drop it on to the cornflakes.

Then I use my fingers to spread some cornflakes over the ball before rolling it in the cornflakes so that it is coated on all sides.

Bake The Cookies

Set each ball, 2 inches apart, on a greased lined rimless cookie sheet.

Press ¼ of a maraschino cherry onto the top of each.

Bake one sheet of cookies at a time in a 375℉ oven for 10 to 14 minutes, until cookies are set and slightly brown on the bottom.

Cool on a wire rack.

Cherry winks can be stored in an airtight container for a week, or frozen for 1 month.

Other Christmas Cookies You Might Like

• Holiday Thimble Cookies
• Cranberry and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
• Slice and Bake Peppermint Cookies
• Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

Have comments or questions on our cherry winks cookies recipe? Tell us in the section below.

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