Famous 1950s Cherry Winks
- Total Time: 20-27 minutes
- Yield: 15 cookies 1x
Description
Recipes for Cherry Wink cookies can be found in many old cookbooks, but Ruth Derousseau is credited with creating the recipe and winning the Junior Pillsbury Bake-off contest in 1950. I have several alternative versions. One recipe is nut-free and another one calls for less flour. Perhaps your old, family cookbooks contain a recipe for Cherry Winks that someone remembers making or at least eating. These cookies can be frozen for at least a month, and they add a festive touch to your dessert table.
Cherry Winks should be savoured with a cup of tea while reading a good book. Chewing every bite slowly allows me to enjoy the crisp cornflake coating, the cake-like texture, the crunch of nuts, and the sweetness of the dates and cherries.
Ingredients
Fruits & Nuts:
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup chopped dates
- 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries
- Crush 2 1/2 cups of cornflakes and place in a shallow dish.
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1/2 butter
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs to creamed mixture and beat lightly.
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F
Prepare fruit and nuts, then set aside:
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped dates
½ cup chopped maraschino cherries
Crush 2 ½ cups of cornflakes and place in a shallow dish.
Sift together the dry ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Combine wet ingredients:
Cream:
- ½ butter
- ¼ cup shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Add:
- 2 eggs to creamed mixture and beat lightly.
Add:
- 2 tablespoons milk
Add:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Blend the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Fold the fruit and nuts into the dough.
Create:
Use a one-tablespoon cookie scoop to measure dough. Roll dough into a ball. Roll each ball of dough into the cornflake crumbs.
Place cookies onto greased or parchment lined cookie sheets. Top each ball with ¼ or ½ of a maraschino cherry. Place in a preheated 375° F oven for 10 to 12 minutes, then cool completely on a rack before storing.
Serve or store these delicious bites.
- Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Bake
7 Responses
Enjoy your recipes, Maureen. Though I don’t bake anymore, I love seeing that others do. I remember my Moom’s go-to recipes for holidays and bridge club. Thanks for sharing this one.
Absolutely delicious I’m sure. My mouth was watering just reading the recipe. Enjoy your holidays my friend
Dear Maureen~ Everything you bake or create looks absolutely delicious…I wish you could send a sample with your Get A Bigger Wagon newsletter! Happy Thanksgiving to you and Gord from our family to yours! Love and Aloha always!
OH YES…..DELICIOUS…..PERHAPS TOO DELICOUS….REMEMBER 4 IS A SERVING! 🙂
So nice to see a remembered recipe. I entered a Pillsbury fig cookie in the California state fair this week and it won. It was fron the 60’s. I might try this one next year. Judges now days are not much in favor of marichino cherries any more. However if I called it an old fashioned recipe it might be a winner
Congratulations, Jennine, on winning a prize at the California State Fair! That is exciting! I bet the fig cookies are fabulous! My husband became very fond of Cherry Winks while I was testing the recipe. I must make them again, soon.
I have been making this recipe for over 40 years.
My mother-in-law made them.
She died of a stroke, so I continue to to keep her legacy alive by baking these beautiful cookies.
That and her Date Nut pinwheel cookies.
Thanks for sharing.
I use one cup of cherries and they are amazing.