Averie Cooks

Cookies:
-1 To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and handheld electric mixer), add the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
-1 Add the milk, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed to incorporate, about 1 minute. (Mine didn’t incorporate fully, but it was mixed in. It’ll fully incorporate after adding the flour.) Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
-1 Add the flour, salt, and beat on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute. If your dough is overly dry, crumbly, and not coming together, add a tiny splash of milk as needed until the dough comes together and is smooth.
-1 Optionally, add red food coloring to tint the dough as pink as desired and mix well to incorporate. All food coloring types and brands vary, as do preferences, so add accordingly. Beat well after each drop or two since you can’t un-do it and sometimes the color intensity will sneak up on you.
-1 Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop or your hands, form approximately 10 equal-sized mounds of dough.
-1 Use your thumb to make a shallow well, like you’re making thumbprint cookies, and insert one cherry into each mound of dough. Carefully seal and crimp the edges around the cherry and flatten mounds slightly, taking care not flatten too much and squish the cherry.
-1 Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
-1 Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet).
-1 Bake for about 12 minutes or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked and glossy in the center; don’t overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool. It’s a bit tricky with pink cookies to tell if they’re done, but I err on the side of underbaking so they stay softer over time.
-1 Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet completely. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Glaze:
-1 To a large, microwave-safe bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
-1 Add the confectioners’ sugar, cherry juice, and whisk to combine. As necessary, add additional cherry juice to achieve desired glaze consistency.
-1 Using a small spoon, add about 2 teaspoons of glaze to the top of each cookie, just enough so that some will drip down the sides. You’ll have extra glaze which will keep airtight in the fridge for weeks and can be used for future baking.