Chocolate and Cherries Shortbread Cookies (plus a GIVEAWAY!)

First, a little #FoodBloggerLove before I tell you about the Kindle Fire giveaway.   I want to give a quick shout-out to Rebekah, who hosts the Making Miracles blog.  I've made a few of her recipes in the past, but this cookie of hers is the most insanely delicious bit of heaven I have tasted in quite a long time!   

As a rule I do not make cookies such as shortbread.  I have a heavy hand more suited to breads and other baked goods that need to be kneaded.  Tender cookies need a tender touch; mine tend to come out of the oven tasting like sweet cardboard.  But this dough was relatively easy to work with, especially when I figured out to use plastic wrap to help form the log.   Slicing is SO much easier and faster than rolling out dough, torturing it along the way with a cookie cutter.

Don't skip the chill step.  This allows the butterfat to solidify, slowing down the spread as the cookies bake, producing tender pillows from heaven.

I made a few changes to the recipe, to use ingredients on hand.  I used canned cherries in place of maraschinos,  subbed ground almonds for the chopped variety, and semi-sweet chocolate instead of  milk chocolate.  All relatively minor changes.  My version is below.

Visit Rebekah's site for the original recipe. And be sure to send some #‎FoodBloggerLove‬ her way.
 
Chocolate and Cherries Shortbread Cookies

Adapted from Making Miracles
Yield:  36 Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter, cut up
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cherries, well drained and chopped
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or use chocolate chips)
1/4 - 1/2 cup ground toasted almonds

In a 2-quart mixing bowl, whisk together the flour,  sugar and salt.

Cut butter into flour mixture and sprinkle with the vanilla until dough begins to come together.

Gently stir in the chopped cherries.

Place several feet of plastic wrap on the counter.  Form dough into a log.  Tightly roll plastic wrap around dough log and seal well.  Place in refrigerator and allow dough to chill at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Slice the dough log into approximately 1/4" thick rounds, gently patting them back into circles if necessary.   Place slices on the prepared cookie sheet, allowing at least an inch between slices.

Bake 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven or until lightly browned on top.  Place cookies, still on the pan, on a heat-safe surface; let cool and firm up at least 15 minutes before sliding cookies, still on the parchment, onto a cooling rack.  Allow to cool completely before peeling parchment from cookies.

Place chocolate in a heat-safe bowl.  Place in microwave for 1 minute at full power.  Stir, then continue to microwave at 30 second intervals until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

Place a fresh sheet of parchment on the counter.  Dip cookies half-way into the chocolate.  Lightly tap cookies on side of bowl to let excess chocolate drip off, then place on prepared parchment.  After dipping 2-3 cookies, lightly sprinkle the dipped portion of the cookies with the ground almonds.   Repeat with remaining cookies.   Place cookies in refrigerator to firm up chocolate.  Remove from fridge no more than 30 minutes before serving.

Enjoy immensely.

I am participating along with several other bloggers in a Kindle Fire giveaway!  Enter from February 10 until February 15 at 3pm EST! Good luck all! 
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And finally, more bloggers who I hope you also share a bit of  #FoodBloggerLove: 

An InLinkz Link-up