CHOCOLATE CHERRY COOKIES

1 (8 oz) pkg sugar-free chocolate cake mix

3 tbsp skim milk

1/2 tsp almond extract

10 maraschino cherries, rinsed, drained and halved

2 tbsp white chocolate chips

1/2 tsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat cake mix, milk and extract with an electric mixer at low speed.  When mixture looks crumbly, increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes or until smooth dough forms.  (Dough will be very sticky.)  Coat hands with cooking spray and shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Place balls 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets.  Flatten each ball slightly.  Place cherry half in center of each cookie.  Bake 8-10 minutes or until cookies losse their shine and tops begin to crack.  DO NOT OVERBAKE OR COOKIES WILL BE HARD WHEN COOLED.  Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

Place chips and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and cook a few seconds at a time, removing and stirring until chips are melted.  Drizzle over cooled cookies.  Allow drizzle to set before serving.

TINY CHERRY CHEESECAKES

Crust: 1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup Equal-Lite

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup cold butter

2 tbsp cold water

Filling:

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup Equal-Lite

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 can sugar-free or lite cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease 24 mini-muffins cups and set aside.To make crust:  In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, Equal and cocoa.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Gradually add water, mixing with a fork until mixture forms a ball.  Divide dough and shape into 24 balls. Place in prepared miniature muffin tins and press dough onto the bottom and up sides of each muffin cup.

To make filling:  In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and Equal until smooth.  Beat in milk and vanilla.  Add egg; beat on low just until combined.  Spoon approximately 1  tablespoonful into each muffin cup.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until set.  Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.  Carefully remove from pans to cool completely.  Top each cake with a dab of pie filling before serving.  Store in refrigerator.

OH-SO-EASY CHERRY BROWNIES

If you are a fan of Black Forest Cake, you will love these cherry brownies.

1 pkg. (21.5 oz) brownie mix

1 cup cherry pie filling

1/4 cup oil

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Combine brownie mix, pie filling, oil, and eggs together and mix well. Grease bottom only of a 13″ x 9″ baking pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until done. After removing from oven, sprinkle with the chocolate chips and spread when they melt. Cool and cut into squares. To make a tasty and pretty serving, top brownie square with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a spoonful of the leftover pie filling.

YUM-YUM CHERRY CHEWBILEES

Crust:

1 cup walnut pieces, divided

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening

1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

Filling:

2 pkgs (8-oz ea) cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup Splenda

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 can (21 oz) no-sugar-added cherry pie filling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 13x9x2-inch pan; set aside.

Chop 1/2 cup of the nuts coarsely for garnish; set aside.  Finely chop the remaining one-half cup of nuts.  Combine the flour and Splenda Brown Sugar Blend.  Cut shortening into mixture until fine crumbs form.  Add the finely chopped nuts and the coconut.  Mix well.  Remove 1/2 cup of mixture and set it aside.  Press remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of prepared pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.

To make the filling, beat cream cheese, Splenda, eggs and vanilla extract in a small mixing bowl at medium speed of electric mixer until smooth.  Spread mixture over the hot baked crust.  Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Spread the cherry pie filling over the filling layer.  Combine the coarsely chopped nuts and the reserved crumb mixture together.  Sprinkle evenly over the cherry pie filling.  Return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Refrigerate for several hours to chill thoroughly.  Cut into 36 bars.

CHERRY PIE

Crust:

3/4 cup ice water

1 tsp white vinegar

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

3 tbsp SPLENDA granular

7 tbsp good quality vegetable shortening

Filling:

2 cans tart red cherries in water; drain but reserve liquid

1/4 cup cornstarch

2/3 cup SPLENDA granular

1/4 tsp almond extract

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

3-4 drops red food coloring, optional

CRUST:  Mix ice water and vinegar together in a cup.  Place half the flour in a bowl and add water mixture gradually, using a wire whisk.  Mix well.  In a seperate bowl, combine remaining flour and SPLENDA.  Add shortening.  Using a pastry cutter or two knifes cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly.  Gradually add the water-flour mixture, adding just enough to make dough bind together.  Divide dough in half and gently pat each half into a circle on a floured work surface.  Cover circles separately with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, make filling.

FILLING:  Drain cherry liquid through a sieve into a medium-sized saucepan.  Mix cornstarch and SPLENDA together in a small bowl.  Pour into the saucepan and stir well.  Add almond extract and lemon juice.  Stir and cook over medium heat.  Simmer 3-4 minutes to thicken the sauce.  Remove from heat and add food coloring, if desired.  Place cherries in a medium mixing bowl and pour liquid over them.  Gently fold with a spatula to mix without mashing cherries.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Roll out 1 dough circle on a floured work surface to 11-inches in diameter.  Place in prepared pie pan.  Place filling in crust.  Roll remaining dough circle into a 10-inch diameter and place on top of filling.  Crimp and seal edges.  Use a fork to prick the top dough so steam can escape.  Brush crust with milk for golden browning and sprinke with some slivered almonds if desired.

Bake pie 50-60 minutes or until filling bubbles and crust is golden.  Allow to cool for 1 hour before slicing.

NOTE:  A 1/8 piece serving of this pie contains 8 grams of sugar from the fruit.  Fruit pies can be “no sugar added” but they are not sugar-free as all fruit contains sugar.