These sweet old-fashioned cherry wink cookies have a chewy and soft inside with a crisp and crunchy coating of cornflake cereal on the outside. With chopped pecans, maraschino cherries and dates, these cookies have a little bit of everything!
Why this recipe works
If you’ve never tried cherry wink cookies, you’re in for a tasty treat. They’re loaded with fun ingredients that provide texture, chew, and crunch. The original recipe for cherry winks was created by Ruth Derousseau who submitted it to the 2nd annual Pillsbury baking contest in 1950. These cookies are literal prize winners and often grace the holiday cookie exchange every year.
Want more cookies recipes that use cornflakes? Try our no bake cornflake cookies or cornflake Christmas wreaths.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
DOUGH – This cookie dough uses shortening, however, you can substitute the shortening with unsalted butter if desired. If you only have salted butter on hand, omit the salt called for in the recipe card.
ADDITIONS – You can typically find green maraschino cherries around the holidays (pictured above). We like to mix the two to make these cookies festive in appearance. Feel free to substitute the pecans with any type of nuts you prefer. Not a fan of dates? Leave them out entirely or try raisins in their place.
How to Make Cherry Wink Cookies
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Cream together the sugar and shortening with a hand mixer.
- Add the milk, vanilla, and eggs. Beat to combine.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Gently stir in pecans, dates, and chopped cherries.
- Use a 1-1/2 to 2 Tablespoon scoop to form dough balls. Roll the balls in crushed cornflakes on all sides and place on a lightly greased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Cut remaining cherries in half or into quarters and place on the top.
- Bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes. Allow to rest 2 minutes on the baking sheet and transfer to cooling wrack with a spatula to fully cool.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Yes, you can store cherry wink cookies in the freezer for 2 months in an air-tight container or large ziptop bag. I would recommend rolling the dough into balls and freezing before you add the cornflakes. The cornflakes can be added right before you’re ready to bake.
Cherry winks can be stored in an air-tight container kept at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a tall glass of milk or homemade eggnog. Cherry wink cookies are a classic at cookie swaps or perfect for edible gift-giving during the holidays.
More Cookie Recipes
- Butter Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Danish Butter Cookies
- Orange Crinkle Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Reeses Pieces Cookies
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Cherry Wink Cookies
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup shortening or butter
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1 cup dates chopped
- â…“ cup maraschino cherries chopped, patted dry with paper towels, plus extra to top (10 ounce jar total)
- 2 cups corn flakes coarsley crushed
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- You can typically find green maraschino cherries around the holidays. We like to mix the two to make these cookies festive in appearance.
- Feel free to substitute the pecans with any type of nuts you prefer. Not a fan of dates? Leave them out entirely or try raisins in their place.
Instructions
- Cream together the sugar and shortening.
- Add the milk, vanilla, and eggs. Beat to combine.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Gently stir in pecans, dates, and chopped cherries.
- Use a 1-1/2 to 2 Tablespoon scoop to form dough balls. Roll the balls in crushed cornflakes on all sides and place on a lightly greased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Cut remaining cherries in half or into quarters and place on the top.
- Bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes. Allow to rest 2 minutes on the baking sheet and transfer to cooling wrack with a spatula to fully cool.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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Jolene says
Cam you leave the nuts out
Amanda Davis says
yes
Leslie W says
This is an original Kellogg Cornflake recipe. It was on its box more than 50yrs ago. It’s not Amanda’s! Give them credit!
Kristen Formaro says
Hi Leslie, this is not a Kellogg original recipe, though I’m sure you’ve seen it on the back of their box. As stated in the second paragraph of this post, the original recipe for Cherry Wink Cookies was invented by Ruth Derousseau when she submitted it to the Pillsbury bake-off contest in 1950. She won the junior prize for her submission, and since then these cookies have gained a lot of popularity.