• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of a nice, heavy-duty mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until it’s light and fluffy. Add the orange zest, orange juice, vanilla extract, and 2 eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add to butter mixture until just combined. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

While that chills, we’ll make the filling. You can cheat and use a good cherry pie filling, or even fruit preserves, but I’m going old school.

You will need:

• 4 cups pitted tart red cherries (I use frozen fruit.)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch (dissolved in 2-3 tbsp. hot water)

Cover and heat the cherries in a saucepan, over medium heat, until they release their juice and come to a simmer. Stir often. In a bowl, whisk the sugar with the cornstarch until smooth. Stir the mixture into the hot cherries and juice, and thoroughly combine. Over a low heat, bring to a simmer and cook until the filling has thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool and chill for 30 minutes. Have a glass of wine. 😉

Okay, time to have some fun!

Preheat your oven to 350F and grab your chilled dough and filling. Flour a nice, big surface for rolling. You’ll want to roll the dough out to about 1/8″ thick in order for the triangles to keep their shape when you fold and pinch.

Cut out 3-inch circles and place them on a baking pan. (I find it’s better to line the pan with parchment or Silpat.)

Fill the center of each circle with your fruit mixture. Don’t go overboard, or the cookies will fall apart. Now for the folding.  First, fold the right side of the circle toward the center . Next, fold the bottom side of the circle toward the center, overlapping the bottom part of the right side flap. Finally, fold the left part of the circle toward the center to create a third flap and tuck the left side of this new flap underneath the left side of the triangle, while letting the right side of this new flap overlap the right side of the triangle. This creates a pinwheel effect which is not only pretty, but will also help to keep the cookies from opening while they bake. Pinch the corners to help keep it together. Here’s a handy, dandy visual aid:

After you finish folding, your pre-baked cookie should look like this:

Once you’ve done all of your triangles, pop them in your oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they’re nice and golden. Cool them on wire racks before serving. For an extra festive touch, sprinkle them with a little powered sugar.

That’s it for me this week. Pop over to see what culinary delight Brenda Margriet has in store for you. And don’t forget that we’re having a HUGE giveaway today over on Facebook. So much great stuff up for grabs, so click on the hottie below!