Mary's Bell Cookies

Serves: 6

Irwin Berge

1 January 1970

Based on User reviews:

61

Spice

48

Sweetness

40

Sourness

37

mins

Prep time (avg)

5.7

Difficulty

Ingredients:

1 tsp

Baking Soda

1 tsp

Salt

1 large

Egg

1 tbsp

Heavy Cream

Directions:

1

Make filling: Stir together brown sugar, butter, and 3 tablespoons cherry juice until combined, then stir in pecans

2

Set cherries aside

3

Stir together brown sugar, butter, and 3 tablespoons cherry juice until combined, then stir in pecans

4

Set cherries aside

5

Make cookies: Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F

6

Whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, and coffee

7

Beat together brown sugar and shortening in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 6 to 8 minutes

8

Add corn syrup, egg, and cream and beat until combined well

9

Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, then mix until combined

10

Roll out one third of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/8-inch thick (about 15 by 11 inches)

11

Chill dough on wax paper on a baking sheet until slightly firm, about 10 minutes

12

Cut out as many cookies as possible with cutter and transfer with a metal spatula to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, spacing them 1/2 inch apart

13

Roll out, chill, and cut remaining dough in same manner

14

Reserve scraps

15

Center 1/2 teaspoon nut filling on lower half of each cookie, then, using spatula, fold sides in toward center to form a cone

16

(Dough may crack along fold; part of filling will be exposed

17

) Stem and quarter cherries

18

Place 1 cherry quarter over exposed filling on each cookie to make bell clapper

19

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden, 12 to 16 minutes total

20

Transfer to racks to cool completely

21

Reroll scraps, then make more cookies in same manner (reroll only twice), baking them on cooled sheets

22

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F

23

Whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, and coffee

24

Beat together brown sugar and shortening in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 6 to 8 minutes

25

Add corn syrup, egg, and cream and beat until combined well

26

Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, then mix until combined

27

Roll out one third of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper to 1/8-inch thick (about 15 by 11 inches)

28

Chill dough on wax paper on a baking sheet until slightly firm, about 10 minutes

29

Cut out as many cookies as possible with cutter and transfer with a metal spatula to 2 ungreased large baking sheets, spacing them 1/2 inch apart

30

Roll out, chill, and cut remaining dough in same manner

31

Reserve scraps

32

Center 1/2 teaspoon nut filling on lower half of each cookie, then, using spatula, fold sides in toward center to form a cone

33

(Dough may crack along fold; part of filling will be exposed

34

) Stem and quarter cherries

35

Place 1 cherry quarter over exposed filling on each cookie to make bell clapper

36

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are pale golden, 12 to 16 minutes total

37

Transfer to racks to cool completely

38

Reroll scraps, then make more cookies in same manner (reroll only twice), baking them on cooled sheets