Cherry Recipe

Critter Munch

3 cups Animal Cracker cookies
3 cups Goldfish crackers
2 cup dried tart cherries
2 cup plain M&Ms candy
1 cup honey roasted peanuts

Place ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Carefully mix with a spoon. Serve and ENJOY! Store any left overs in an airtight container.

Oatmeal Cherry Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt(optional)
3 cups Quaker oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1-1/2 cups dried cherries

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together margaine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Stir in oats and dried cherries; mix well.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfullls onto ungreased cokkie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cokkie sheet; remove to wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen

Coarsely chop frozen tart cherries. Let cherries thaw and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon cherry juice.

When cherries are thawed, combine drained cherries, dried cherries, onion, jalapenos, garlic and cilantro in a medium saucepan; mix well. Combine reserved cherry juice and cornstarch in a small bowl; mix until smooth. Stir into cherry mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until mixture is thickened. Let cool.

Serve with tortilla chips and/or cooked chicken or pork.

Makes about 1 cup

Put cherry juice blend and frozen cherries in an electric blender container; puree until smooth. Add lemonade concentrate and ice cubes; blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a 2-quart pitcher. Stir in lemon-lime carbonated beverage. Serve immediately; garnish with orange and lime slices.

Makes 6 servings.

Combine cherry juice blend and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

In electric blender or food processor container, combine cherries, orange juice concentrate and lemon juice. Blend 1 minute, or until cherries are pureed. In a 6-cup freezer container, combine cherry mixture and sugar mixture; mix well. Cover tightly; freeze 5 hours or overnight.

Remove cherry mixture from freezer 30 minutes before serving. Put 1/4 cup slush in each glass; add 1/2 cup carbonated beverage to each glass. Serve immediately. Freeze remaining slush for later use.

Makes 16 (3/4 cup) servings.

Note: 1 (16-ounce) can unsweetened tart cherries, drained, can be substituted for frozen cherries.

Cut cherries in halves while frozen. Set aside to thaw and drain.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, almond extract and vanilla, beating well. Crush 1/2 cup cherries with a fork; add to batter.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Fold in half the flour with a spatula, then half the cream. Add remaining flour and cream. Fold in remaining cherry halves. Portion batter evenly into 12 paper-lined or lightly greased muffin cups (2¾ inches in diameter). Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake in a preheated 375 oven 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Makes 12 muffins.

In a small mixing bowl, combine confectioners' sugar and milk; mix well. Pour mixture into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cherries and pecans evenly over sugar mixture.

On a lightly floured surface, roll bread dough into a 12x8-inch rectangle; brush with melted butter. In a small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cherries. Roll up rectangle, jelly-roll style, starting from a long side; pinch to seal edges. With a sharp knife, cut roll into 12 slices.

Place slices, cut-side down, on top of mixture in pan. Let rise, covered, in a warm place 30 minutes, or until nearly double. (Or, cover with waxed paper, then with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 to 24 hours. Before baking, let chilled rolls stand, covered, 20 minutes at room temperature.)

Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 375-degree oven 20 to 25 minutes for unchilled rolls and 25 to 30 minutes for chilled rolls, or until golden brown. If necessary, cover rolls with foil the last 10 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Let cool in pan 1 to 2 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter. Serve warm.

Makes 12 rolls.