Better than a Golden Raisin Cookie: Dried Cherry Cookies

Golden Dried Cherry Cookies

After finding the King Arthur Flour posting containing a remembrance and lament for Sunshine Golden Raisin Cookies, I decided to make them.

One problem: no raisins. One solution: Dried tart cherries.

These are easy to make, even for people with Fear of Pastry, because they are random and raggedy, and the cherries or raisins (or any other chopped, dried fruit) can stick out. One great tool: a bench scraper will fold the dough and  cut the the cookies before baking.

The King Arthur blog posting has excellent instructions and great pictures. Aside from the raisin/cherry difference between theirs and mine, I decided not to use the beautiful coarse sugar topping, sprinkling on regular sugar instead. I don't remember coarse sugar on the Sunshine cookies, and I also remember these cookies being  surprisingly not sweet.

Golden memories: Sunshine Raisin Biscuits make a comeback | King Arthur Flour – Baking Banter

Golden memories: Sunshine Raisin Biscuits make a comeback | King Arthur Flour – Baking Banter

Every time a candy or a cookie is dumped by the Dreaded Takeover Corporation, a souffle falls like a stone. Sunshine Raisin Biscuits were grown-ups' cookies -- chewy and not too sweet. I loved them and, thanks to the bloggers at King Arthur Flour, I am going to make some this afternoon.

To wallow in the history of lost candies and to be shocked! shocked! shocked! by the level of corporate and intellectual property security in the candy business, read The Emperors of Chocolate by Joel Glenn Brenner.