Cherry cookies in a Mr. Saturn shape. Ding!

Confession: I've never played Earthbound. Well, not enough to get a good feel for the game anyway. The furthest I got was to the photographer that says "Say 'Fuzzy Pickles.'" This fine cookie suggestion came from my brother.

These cookies are pretty darn good. Buttery rich with a hint of almond and the maraschino cherry inside...delicious! If you're in the cookie baking mood, I highly suggest giving these a shot. A normal round cookie with the basic ingredients will be just as tasty.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 jar maraschino cherries with stems
Strawberry fruit roll-up
Black gel

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Separate the stems from the cherries but don't throw them away, we'll need them later. Dry the cherries on a paper towel to get rid of the access juice.

Mix together butter and flour, then add the almond extract. Add the flour and salt. Mix everything together until it's well blended.

Take a small amount of dough, about three tablespoons, and flatten in your hand. Place a cherry in the middle and wrap the edges of the dough around it. Add a little more dough to the top and roll around in your hand until it's ball shaped.

Take a smaller amount of dough and roll into a ball for the snoot. Roll up two smaller balls for the feet.

Pop into the oven for about 15-17 minutes. You'll want them to set, but not bake until they're brown.

While the cookies are baking, take the stems and chop off the end part that was inside the cherry. This'll make it much easier to insert into the cookie.

For the bows, I used tiny bits of fruit roll-ups. They'll stick easily to the cherry stem.

Once the cookies are done, quickly insert the bows into the cookies before the cookies harden.

Allow the cookies to cool before giving Mr. Saturn his eyebrows and eyes. Where are the whiskers, you wonder? The black licorice I had intended for whiskers looked to be too heavy for the cookie, so I left it off entirely. These particular snoots came out a little long, but they do have the Mr. Saturn physique!

zoom!