Substitute 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry or raspberry jam for the cherry half.Coated with crunchy nuts and topped with a brightly colored cherry, these cookies are a favorite with all generations.
Yield: 3 dozen
Active time: 20 minutes
Start to finish: 50 minutes
11/2 cups white rice flour
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into thin slices
1 large egg
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
18 red or green candied cherries, cut in half
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.
2. Combine rice flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, xanthan gum, cream of tartar, and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Blend for 5 seconds. Add butter to the work bowl, and process, using on-and-off pulsing, until mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Combine egg, milk, and vanilla in a small cup and whisk well. Drizzle liquid into the work bowl, and pulse about 10 times, or until stiff dough forms. If dough is dry and doesn’t come together, add additional milk by 1-teaspoon amounts, until dough forms a ball.
4. Place walnuts on a sheet of waxed paper. Roll dough into balls with your hands, roll them in walnuts, and arrange them on the baking sheets. Chill dough if too soft to roll. Press an indentation in the center of each ball with your fingertip, and place 1 cherry piece in the indentation with the domed side up.
5. Bake cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Cool cookies for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, and then transfer them with a spatula to cooling racks to cool completely.
Variation
Substitute 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry or raspberry jam for the cherry half.
Cream of tartar comes from the acid deposited inside wine barrels. It’s used in conjunction with baking soda to produce the same chemical reaction as that caused by baking powder.