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Bring some history into your kitchen. Get the kids in the kitchen to help you bake some cherry treats. As you work together, talk to them about the early history of our country and our first President George Washington. This can lead to even more talks about our history. Don't leave it to the schools to teach your children the history of their country. Unfortunately, many of today's textbook don't even have the correct information in them. Let your kids learn from you as you build up our country in their eyes. Most kids like to bake cookies and these Chocolate Cherry Cookies would be a good project for you as they are simple and made from a cake mix. And they are diabetic friendly so even the diabetic children (of all ages) can enjoy them. Or you can use a regular chocolate cake mix for regular cookies. Tiny Cherry Cheesecakes are also a delicious choice and they are also diabetic friendly. However they, too, can be made regular by replacing the Equal with sugar. These tiny cheesecakes have a chocolate crust and who doesn't love chocolate and cherries together? And speaking of chocolate, how about some Oh-So-Easy Cherry Brownies?
CHOCOLATE CHERRY COOKIES
1 (8 oz) pkg sugar-free chocolate cake mix
3 tbsp skim milk
1/2 tsp almond extract
10 maraschino cherries, rinsed, drained and halved
2 tbsp white chocolate chips
1/2 tsp canola oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat cake mix, milk and extract with an electric mixer at low speed. When mixture looks crumbly, increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes or until smooth dough forms. (Dough will be very sticky.) Coat hands with cooking spray and shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Flatten each ball slightly. Place cherry half in center of each cookie. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies lose their shine and tops begin to crack. DO NOT OVERBAKE OR COOKIES WILL BE HARD WHEN COOLED. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.
Place chips and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and cook a few seconds at a time, removing and stirring until chips are melted. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Allow drizzle to set before serving.
TINY CHERRY CHEESECAKES
Crust: 1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Equal-Lite
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup cold butter
2 tbsp cold water
Filling:
6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup Equal-Lite
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 can sugar-free or lite cherry pie filling
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 24 mini-muffins cups and set aside.To make crust: In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, Equal and cocoa. Cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add water, mixing with a fork until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough and shape into 24 balls. Place in prepared miniature muffin tins and press dough onto the bottom and up sides of each muffin cup.
To make filling: In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and Equal until smooth. Beat in milk and vanilla. Add egg; beat on low just until combined. Spoon approximately 1 tablespoonful into each muffin cup. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Carefully remove from pans to cool completely. Top each cake with a dab of pie filling before serving. Store in refrigerator.
OH-SO-EASY CHERRY BROWNIES
If you are a fan of Black Forest Cake, you will love these cherry brownies.
1 pkg. (21.5 oz) brownie mix
1 cup cherry pie filling
1/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
Combine brownie mix, pie filling, oil, and eggs together and mix well. Grease bottom only of a 13" x 9" baking pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until done. After removing from oven, sprinkle with the chocolate chips and spread when they melt. Cool and cut into squares. To make a tasty and pretty serving, top brownie square with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a spoonful of the leftover pie filling.
Enjoy!
