Cherry Corn Flake Cookies

I have found several variations of this cookie recipe. The first one I found was actually on the box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes. The second one was in a book. There are versions online as well. The recipe below is a combination of the other ones. If I made them again, I think I'd try them without the dates or nuts.

Cherry Corn Flake Cookies

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon almond extract*
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
½ cup dates, pitted and chopped (optional)
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/3 cup chopped maraschino cherries (optional)
1 ½ cups crushed Corn Flakes (measure after crushing)
about 15 more maraschino cherries cut into quarters

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Then stir in the sugar. Beat the two eggs in a dish and then add them to the sugar and butter.

Stir in the almond extract, vanilla extract, and the maraschino cherry juice. Add flour mixture, combining thoroughly.

If desired, add dates, nuts, and/or chopped cherries.

Using a small scooper, shape the dough into balls. Roll them in the crushed Corn Flakes and place them two inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Press each cookie down a little and top with a cherry quarter. If dough is too sticky to roll, you can refrigerate it for a bit first.

Bake at 350 degrees for about ten minutes or until lightly browned. Remove immediately from baking sheets and cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container.

Yields about 5 dozen cookies.

*Note: If you don’t have almond extract (or are allergic to nuts), you can skip it and just increase the vanilla extract to one full teaspoon.