Cashew Butter Blossom Cookies
from a cozy mystery: Christmas Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Ingredients
- 2 cups white (granulated) sugar
- 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks) softened
- ½ cup cashew butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp molasses
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup finely chopped salted cashews
- 2 large eggs, beaten (just whip them up in a glass with a fork)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
- 13 oz. bag Hershey's Kisses (or milk chocolate stars)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
- Prepare your cookie sheets by spraying them with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray or lining them with parchment paper or use silicone baking mats.
- Place the white sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.
- Add the softened butter and mix on LOW until it's well blended, then beat on MEDIUM speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Mix in the half-cup of cashew butter and beat on MEDIUM speed until it is well incorporated.
- Pack the cashew butter down in the cup and level it off with the prepared spatula. The cooking spray makes it easier to get all the cashew butter out of your measuring cup. You can also use this pre-sprayed cup to measure the molasses.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and the molasses. Beat until they are well incorporated.
- With the mixer running on LOW speed, sprinkle in the baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.
- Add the finely chopped cashews to the bowl and mix them in on LOW.
- Add the beaten eggs and mix those in thoroughly
- Mix in the all-purpose flour in half-cup increments, mixing after each addition.
- Mix until all your ingredients are thoroughly blended and then shut off your mixer and scrape down the bowl.Take the bowl out of the mixer.Scrape down the sides of the bowl with your rubber spatula and give your Cashew Butter Blossom Cookie dough a final stir by hand.
- Let the dough firm up for a few minutes on your kitchen counter as you sit down and enjoy a couple of the Hershey's Kisses or chocolate stars.
- Form the dough into walnut-sized balls and arrange them on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-size sheet.
- Press the Hershey's Kisses or chocolate stars, point up, into the middle of your cookie balls, flat side down. They'll look like flowers or blossoms after they're baked and that's why they're called Cashew Butter Blossom Cookies.
- Bake at 350 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden.(Don't worry-The chocolate won't melt in that length of time.)
- Cool your cookies on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then remove them to wire racks to finish cooling.
- Yield: Makes approximately 8 dozen delicious cookies, depending on the size of the cookie dough balls. You can cut this recipe in half, but if you do, use ½ teaspoon of baking soda and ½ teaspoon of baking powder.