Why Cherry Winks Should Be The Official Holiday Cookie

For years, my family thought we had a secret Cherry Wink recipe. It was passed down from my great-grandmother as the hallmark family holiday cookie. We were completely convinced of this until we read the same recipe on the back of the Corn Flakes box, calling them Cherry Dot Cookies. Despite that disappointment, I still think that cherry winks should be the official holiday cookie.

Here’s the recipe for cherry winks, so you can decide for yourself. 

Cherry Wink Cookies

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time:1 hour 15 minutesCook time: 10 minutesTotal time:1 hour 25 minutesServings:12 servings

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup margarine softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbs milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup finely chopped pitted dates
• 1/3 cup finely chopped maraschino cherries
• 2 2/3 cups Corn Flakes crushed to 1 1/3 cups
• 15 maraschino cherries cut into quarters

Instructions

1. 
   

   After you have everything prepped, stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together.

2. 
   

   Beat margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in milk and vanilla. Add the flour mixture. Mix well. Stir in walnuts, dates, and 1/3 cup cherries (finely chopped).

3. 
   

   Shape dough into balls and roll them in the crushed Corn Flakes. After they are covered in cornflakes, top each ball with a cherry quarter.

4. 
   

   Bake at 350° for around 8-10 minutes, until they are lightly browned.

5. 
   

   Enjoy right away or pack those babies up for the perfect (and tastiest) gift. Or do both…each batch will yield about 5 dozen cookies.

Although prep time is long and chopping dates is a pain, the end result is totally worth it. The crunchy, flakey outside coupled with the soft and sweet center is the perfect treat for the holiday season (and anytime of year). Plus, you can always squeeze in some fam bonding time while you prep.

If you’ve got the time, follow this recipe and find out for yourself why Cherry Winks should be the official holiday cookie. 

• Christmas