CHERRY PINWHEELS & CHERRY MACAROON BROWNIES

There were two obvious favorites resulting from the Christmas Cookie Baking Extravaganza of 2014 -- Cherry Pinwheels and Cherry Macaroon Brownies! I had to make two batches of each! Here are the winning recipes:

CHERRY PINWHEELS

INGREDIENTS
1/2 CUP BUTTER, SOFTENED
1 CUP GRANULATED SUGAR
1 TSP. BAKING POWDER
1/4 TSP. BAKING SODA
DASH SALT
1 EGG
1/2 CUP PLAIN NON-FAT GREEK YOGURT
1 TSP. FINELY SHREDDED LEMON PEEL
2 3/4 CUPS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
3/4 CUP CHERRY PRESERVES
1 CUP POWDERED SUGAR
3 TO 4 TSP. MILK
1/4 TSP. ALMOND EXTRACT

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg, non-fat plain greek yogurt, lemon peel and vanilla until combined. Beat in flour with mixer. 

On a lightly floured surface roll 1/4 of the dough at a time into a square. Using a knife or pizza cutter ("Pastry Wheel" they call it, haha), cut dough into 2 1/2-inch squares -- I made some about this size and I made some tiny bite-sized ones, about 1 1/2" each, they were not as easy to handle, but they were delicious! 

Place squares 2 inches apart on the parchment paper on the cookie sheet. Cut 1-inch slits from the corners toward the center of each square -- for this I used a knife. Spoon 1 teaspoon of cherry preserves into the center of each square. Fold every other tip (see image below) into the center of each square to form a pinwheel. Press dough gently in the middle to seal tips to filling.

Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or just until edges begin to brown. Cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. While each batch was baking I would cut another sheet of parchment paper and prepare the cookies on it, then swap out parchment paper when one batch was done. It went very smoothly! Having a slightly bigger kitchen would have been ideal, but we made it work! Luckily my smart boyfriend suggested we set up the traveling collapsable table for extra workspace! It worked out wonderfully.

To make the icing, in a small bowl stir together powdered sugar, 3 teaspoons -- I used more like 1/4 of a cup because the icing was too thick -- of milk and the almond extract. Drizzle cookies with icing and let stand until icing is set. 
Makes 36 pinwheels -- unless you're me and all your pinwheels are different sizes! Then it makes about 50-60.

CHERRY MACAROON BROWNIES

INGREDIENTS
1 19- TO 22-OZ. PKG. OF FUDGE BROWNIE MIX
1/2 CUP DRIED CHERRIES
2 TBSP. CHERRY JUICE
3 CUPS FLAKED COCONUT
1 CUP SLIVERED ALMONDS (I used whole almonds)
1 14-OZ. CAN SWEETENED CONDENSED MILD
MARASCHINO CHERRIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over edges of pan. I did use foil the first time and the brownies really stuck to it after baking. The second time I used parchment paper, I had to let it bake longer but it came off of the paper perfectly.

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for cavelike brownies. Stir in dried cherries and cherry juice -- I just scooped some out of the maraschino cherry jar. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan, spreading evenly. Bake about 15 minutes or just until set. This took longer than that for me, more like 25-30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine coconut, almonds and almond extract. Stir in sweetened condensed mild. Carefully spoon coconut mixture over partially baked brownies. Bake for 15 minutes more. Cool in pan on wire rack. 

Using edges of the foil -- or paper -- lift uncut brownies out of pan. Cut into bars. I placed a cherry on top of each bar and held it in place with a toothpick.