Spiced Cherry Bell Cookies

At Christmas, my mother always baked 12 different types of cookies and placed trays of them on our dining room table, along with nuts, candies, and fruits. It was always beautiful. She passed this recipe on to me because it was my absolute favorite. Not too sweet, just right! The dough can bit a bit sticky, so keep it refrigerated until ready to use, and try to work quickly with it.

• Ready In: 1 hr 42 mins
• Yields: 5 dozen

Ingredients

• Cookie dough

• 3  cups  sifted all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon instant coffee
• 1⁄2  tst. salt
• 1  cup butter
• 1 1⁄4 cups light brown sugar
• 1⁄4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1  egg
• 1  tablespoon heavy cream

• Filling

• 1⁄3 cup  firmly packed brown sugar
• 1  tablespoon butter
• 3  tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
• 1 1⁄2 cups pecans, finely chopped
•  maraschino cherry, to make the clappers

Directions

1. For dough:.
2. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and coffee. Cream butter and gradually add firmly packed brown sugar. Mix well.
3. Blend in dark corn syrup, egg and heavy cream. Beat well. Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.
4. Refrigerate dough for at least one hour. Roll out dough, 1/3 at a time on floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 3-inch rounds. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. For filling:.
6. Combine all filling ingredients and mix well. Place 1/2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each round. Shape into a bell by folding the two upper edges of dough toward the center, covering all but the lower edge of the filling, using a spatula if necessary. Place 1/4 or 1/2 of a maraschino cherry just below lower edge of filling for the clapper. Bake at 350 degrees 12-15 minutes.