These delightful little cookies have a fun history, are full of lots of tasty ingredients, and are really simple to make. The cookies have a crispy cornflake crunch on the outside, followed by layer of chewy cookie, and then the inside soft but full of crunch and chew from the addition of nuts, dates, and maraschino cherries.
The original recipe for Cherry Winks was created by Ruth Derousseau, who submitted it to Pillsbury’s 2nd Grand National Recipe & Baking Contest in 1951. Ruth was the junior winner and took home a check for $5,000!
… but why the heck is cookie spelled “cooky”?
The original recipe calls for shortening, though while researching I found others recommending salted butter or margarine. Because I usually prefer the flavor of butter over shortening, I chose to use salted butter at room temperature. I did not chill the dough prior to baking and didn’t have any issues with the cookies spreading too much while baking. You may think that adding extra salt to a recipe already using salted butter would be a bit much, but in this case it really isn’t – I think it needed that extra zip.
What initially got me thinking about trying this recipe was a Facebook post made by my mom. She remembered making these cookies in a Home Economics course in high school and asked if anyone had the original recipe. Surprisingly, a fellow classmate not only had the recipe, but had her original handwritten card. So cool!
The original recipe recommends using pecans, though other versions say you can use any kind of chopped nuts. I prefer pecans!
| Cherry Winks Cornflake Cookies | | Print |
- 2¼ cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup salted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 TBS milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely-chopped pecans
- 1 cup finely-chopped dates
- ⅓ cup finely-chopped maraschino cherries
- 2½ cups cornflakes, crushed
- 15-18 maraschino cherries, cut into quarters
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Sift together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt.
- In a second bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each one. Stir in the milk and vanilla, and then add the dry ingredients with the pecans, dates, and chopped cherries. Mix well.
- Using a level tablespoon or slightly mounded small cookie scoop, shape dough into balls, roll in crushed cornflakes, and place onto greased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake 11-12 minutes or until browned.
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I will have to try this without nuts…anyone else ever tried that. My granddaughter is allergic to all tree nuts and peanuts…
Doesn’t the hand-written card miss 1/2 baking soda? Do we need it of not?
I had lost my Mom’s recipe for Cherry Winks. Was so happy when I came across yours as it is almost exactly what I remember her recipe to be. Will definitely be making these for Christmas. Thank you!
You are writing about my grandmother Ruth Derousseau who was the best cook! My name is Erin also I really liked this thank you!!!
That is SO cool!! Thank you for sharing!
Just as a point of interest, the Cherry Wink cookie recipe is on the back of my current box of cornflakes.
I like to use almond extract instead of or in addition to vanilla