Treasure Chest Cookies (Lisa's Aunt Nancy's Babysitter's Cookies)

Blackberry Pie Murder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position

## **The Cookie Dough**

* 1/2 cup ***(1 stick, 4 ounces, 1/4 pound)*** salted butter, room temperature
* 3/4 cup powdered sugar ***(plus 1 and 1/2 cups more for rolling the cookies in and making the glaze)***
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 Tablespoons milk ***(that's 1/8 cup)***
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ***(pack it down when you measure it)***

## The "Treasure"

* Well-drained Maraschino cherries, chunks of well-drained canned pineapple, small pieces of chocolate, a walnut or pecan half, 1/4 teaspoon of any fruit jam, or any small soft candy or treat that will fit inside your cookie dough balls.

## To Make The Cookie Dough:

* Mix the softened butter and 3/4 cup powdered sugar together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Beat them until the mixture is light and fluffy.
* Add the salt and mix it in.
* Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Beat until they're thoroughly blended.
* Add the flour in half-cup increments, mixing well after each addition.
* Divide the dough into 4 equal quarters. ***(You don't have to weigh it or measure it, or anything like that. It's not that critical.)***
* Roll each quarter into a log shape and then cut each log into 6 even pieces. ***(The easy way to do this is to cut it in half first and then cut each half into thirds.)***
* Roll the pieces into balls about the size of a walnut with its shell on, or a little larger.
* Flatten each ball with your impeccably clean hands.
* Wrap the dough around a "treasure" of your choice. If you use jam, don't use over a quarter-teaspoon as it will leak out if there's too much jam inside the dough ball.
* Pat the resulting "package" into a ball shape and place it on an ungreased cookie sheet, 12 balls to a standard-size sheet. Push the dough balls down just slightly so they don't roll off on their way to your oven.

**Hannah's 1st Note:  I use baking sheets with sides and line them with parchment paper when I bake these with jam. If part of the jam leaks out, the parchment paper contains it and I don't have sticky jam on my baking sheets or in the bottom of my oven.**

* Bake the Treasure Chest Cookies at 350 F. for approximately 18 minutes, or until the bottom edge is just beginning to brown when you raise it with a spatula.
* Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the sheets for about 5 minutes.
* Place 1/2 cup of powdered sugar in a small bowl.
* Place wax paper or parchment paper under the wire racks.
* Roll the still-warm cookies in the powdered sugar. The sugar will stick to the warm cookies. Coat  them evenly and then return them to the wire racks to cool completely. ***(You'll notice that the powdered sugar will "soak" into the warm cookie balls. That's okay. You're going to roll them in powdered sugar again for a final coat when they're cool.)***
* When the cookies are completely cool, place another 1/2 cup powdered sugar in your bowl. Roll the cooled cookies in the powdered sugar again. Then transfer them to a cookie jar or another container and store them in a cool, dry place.

**Hannah's 2nd Note: I tried putting a couple of miniature marshmallows or half or a regular-size marshmallow in the center of my cookies for the "treasure".  It didn't work. The marshmallows in the center completely melted away.**

**Lisa's Note: I'm going to try my Treasure Chest Cookies with a roll of Rollo's next time I make them. Herb just adores those chocolate covered soft caramels. He wants me to try the miniature Reese's Pieces, too.**

Yield: 2 dozen delicious cookies that both kids and adults will love to eat.