Cherry Icebox Ribbons
Date Completed: 1/22/2025
Book: America's Test Kitchen The Perfect Cookie
Chapter: Slice & Bake Sweets
Overall Score: 8/12 (individual process, taste, mess, and leftover scores below!)
Recommended? Yes! I have skimmed this chapter without noticing this recipe many times, but I’m so glad it caught my eye now! These would be great to make for a party or as a gift for a friend.
Process Report:
Process Score: 2 - Quite Involved
I gave these cookies a process score of 2/3 (“quite involved”) because there are four main steps to make them:
The cookie dough comes together in a food processor.
The cherry filling requires simmering cherry preserves with dried cherries on the stove to reduce before swirling up in the food processor.
The chilled dough is rolled out, cut into four equal rectangles, and layered with the cherry filling.
After another chill, the dough is cut into the individual cookies (i.e., why this recipe falls into the Slice & Bake Sweets chapter!).
I always love a food processor cookie dough! This was forgiving because I was too impatient to let my butter fully come to room temperature.
It took a little extra time (and an extra dish) to do the cherry filling on the stove before combining it into the food processor. However, the timing worked well to do these steps while the cookie dough did its first chill.
I admit I was feeling persnickety about rolling the dough into exactly a 10x10 square to make sure the layers would be even. I do think it was worth it, though! I rolled the dough between my silipat mat and a layer of parchment paper so that it wouldn’t stick to anything. Once it softened slightly, I had an easy time cutting the rounded edges off and moving the dough scraps around to make the edges straight.
I froze the dough briefly before cutting it into the strips, which helped make the rectangles sharp and easy to handle. I do wish I had left the cherry filling out at room temperature during this process instead of refrigerating it because it was a little reluctant to spread with a spoon. Next time!
After one more chill, I started to slice up the cookies. On my first attempt, I had the log oriented with the stripes going horizontally. This caused quite a bit of filling to squish out when I did the cuts.
I thought I had done the cuts when the dough was too cold, but got a great tip from reading other bakers’ recipe comments in ATK’s app. Several recommended orienting the dough log with the stripes facing vertically.
This simple change made a huge difference! No more squishing after each cut.
Taste Report:
Taste Score: 2 - So Good
I also gave a taste score of 2/3 because these were so good! The cookie layer is very buttery with a hint of almond flavor. The cherry filling is balanced perfectly because it is not too see and has a very slight tartness.
Texturally, these are a dream! By itself the cookie has a sandy texture while the cherry filling has a great chew. It reminded me of a homemade fruit leather. The magic is in all the layers. The combination is truly “so good!”
Mess Report:
Mess Score: 2 - Moderate
I wanted to give this a mess core of 1/3 (“minimal”), but there was one step that disqualified it from that honor. Since you use the food processor for both the dough and the filling, you have to wash it in the middle of the process!
Other than that, these did not make a huge mess by any means!
The dishwasher took care of the second food processor wash. I love minimal handwashing!
Leftover Report:
Leftover Score: 2 - Flexible
2s across the board for these cookies! I rated these 2/3 (“flexible”) for a few reasons. The baked cookies stayed fresh for several days on the counter in a glass container. The texture stayed very consistent throughout that time.
I also like that you can keep the dough in the freezer to slice and bake later. I made half in my first batch and then came back a few days later to make the rest.
Perfect opportunity to stack up these sweet treats on this cute dessert stand! You are sweet!