Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Pink Velvet Cookies with Maraschino Cherry Filling

 
Welcome to Red Couch Recipes and to five years of blogging this month!  I am celebrating the five years by coming back to blogging after I fell off a blogging cliff in September of last year. See below for details on my blogging absence.  Many times are lives are filled with sweet happenings, while other times are lives tend to make a dive.  My life took a dive, but I hope to be back sharing with you sweet events of my life. 
 
I made these sweet cookies the other day.  They are so easy and so delicious.  The cookies are made from a  Duncan Hines box mix and go together so quickly.  The filling is a Maraschino cherry filling, which is so delicious, and appropriate for the month of February. I think they give the appearance of a French Macaron, without all the fuss.   I gave them to a friend, and also served them to the LDS missionaries who came to dinner that night.  My son was so funny!  He said, "You didn't make these, you didn't make these!"  I kept on replying that I did.  I guess he hadn't SEEN me make these, so he thought I DIDN'T make them.  Of course, this conversation took place in front of our guests ;). 
 
 
Blogging Absence  
 In October, we moved to the Spokane Washington area, from our home in Utah.  On the day our moving trailer arrived, our son, who was living in Utah, called to say he had severely broken his femur.  His femur was broken because the MRSA Staph he had contracted in May, even with 8 weeks of strong infusion antibiotics, had compromised his femur.  After 10 days in the hospital and a plate and 10 screws, and moving him out of his apartment, we brought him to Washington.  He wouldn't be able to work for several months, and it was not feasible for him to stay in Utah.   He is now on his third round of infusion antibiotics (3 times/day for 1.5 hours each).  Hopefully, this will be the course that kills the bone infection.  In April, his orthopedic surgeon plans to take out his metal, which could be the cause of this infection that won't leave.  Of course, when I tried to return to blogging, my computer is all buggy. 

I found this mix at our local Wal-Mart.

 
Pink Velvet Cookie Recipe
 
 
1 Pink Velvet Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients together.  Form cookie dough into round balls, about 1 1/2 teaspoons, and then place on cookie sheet.  The balls will spread so allow enough room.  Bake for about 6-8 minutes.  When cool spread frosting on cookie and sandwich it with another cookie.  Sprinkle filled cookies with Confectioner's Sugar.  The mix made about 18 cookies.  Note:  I have made other cake mix cookies, this time I used two eggs, other times I have used only one.  This particular mix needed two eggs.
 
Maraschino Cherry Frosting  Recipe
 
My husband commented that the maraschino cherry filling really made the cookies.  I did not use any of the cherries, just the juice.
 
1/4 cup room temperature butter
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
2-3 tablespoons Maraschino Cherry Juice
 
Blend all ingredients together well and use to fill the cookies.
 
 

 
Nostalgia:  The Maraschino Cherry filling reminds me of my mother.  On more than one occasion, she made a heart shaped Maraschino Cake for my father for Valentine's Day.

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