INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Makes about 5 dozen 1 3/4-inch cookies  Equipment: Ungreased cookie
sheets, 1 1/4-inch cookie scoop, or a  measuring teaspoon.  Place two
oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.  Preheat oven to
375 degrees F.  Soften the butter. In a small bowl, sift together he
flour, baking  soda, and salt. Whisk to combine well. Set aside. In a
mixing bowl,  beat the sugars until well mixed. Add the butter and
peanut butter  and beat for several minutes, until very smooth and
creamy. Add the  egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated,
scraping the  sides of the bowl. At low speed, gradually beat in the
flour mixture  just until incorporated.  Scrape the dough into a bowl
and refrigerate for at least one hour or  overnight (This keeps the
dough from cracking when shaped).  Measure the dough into a 1 1/4-inch
cookie scoop or 2 level teaspoons  and roll it between the palms of
your hands to shape 1-inch balls.  Place the balls 1 1/2 inches apart
on the cookie sheets. As soon as  you roll each ball, use your index
finger or the handle of a wooden  spoon to make a depression going down
almost to the cookie sheet in  the center of each ball.  Bake for 10 to
12 minutes or until lightly browned and set. For even  baking, rotate
the cookie sheets from top to bottom and front to back  halfway through
the baking period.  Cool the cookies on the sheets for a few minutes or
until firm enough  to lift. Use a small, angled metal spatula or
pancake turner to  transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool
completely. If necessary,  while the cookies are still hot, use the
greased handle of a wooden  spoon to deepen the depressions. Fill the
centers with cherry  preserves or milk chocolate topping.  Cherry
Preserves Topping: ** 1 1/2 (12-ounce) jars cherry preserves  In a
microwave oven or a saucepan, heat the preserves until boiling.  Strain
the jelly into a small heavy saucepan. Place the cherries  remaining in
the strainer in the centers of the cookies. If some are  crushed, piece
them together.  On medium heat, boil the jelly for about 5 minutes,
stirring  constantly until, when it is dropped from the stirring spoon,
the  last drops gather to form one large sticky drop that hangs from
the  spoon. The jelly will be reduced to about 3/4 cup. Allow the jelly
to  cool about 1 minutes or until the bubbling stops. Spoon heaping 1/4
to 1/2 teaspoons over each cherry.  Milk Chocolate Topping: ** 2
(3-ounce) bars milk chocolate 2  (3-ounce) bars bittersweet chocolate 6
tablespoons unsalted butter at  room temperature  Break the chocolate
into squares and place them in the top of a double  boiler. Set it over
hot but not simmering water. The water must not  touch the bottom of
the double-boiler insert. Stir until the  chocolate begins to melt.
Return the pan to low heat if the water  cools, but be careful that the
water does not get too hot.  Stir the chocolate until smooth, and cool
it until it is no longer  warm to the touch.( The chocolate may be
melted in a microwave oven  if stirred every 15 seconds. Remove it
before it is fully melted and  stir, using residual heat to complete
melting). Whisk in the softened  butter. The mixture will immediately
thicken. Do not overwhisk. Use a  recloseable quart-size freezer bag
with one corner cut off to pipe  the chocolate into the centers of the
cookies or use a small metal  spatula to spread on a dollop. You can
also use a copler with a # 22  star decorating tube to pipe the
chocolate decoratively into the  centers. Allow the chocolate to set
until firm.  Store: In an airtight container Keeps: 1 month  Tip: Using
superfine sugar will result in fewer cracks in the cookie's  surface.
It can be prepared easily in a food processor by processing  granulated
sugar for a few minutes or until it is as fine as sand.  From: Rose's
Christmas Cookies Shared by: Kaitlin Young, September,  '92  From
Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

A Message from our Provider:

“God is humble”

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 610
Calories From Fat: 390
Total Fat: 45.6g
Cholesterol: 86mg
Sodium: 564mg
Potassium: 381.1mg
Carbohydrates: 39.3g
Fiber: 3.8g
Sugar: 14.9g
Protein: 17g