Door County Cherry Bounce Recipes

Steps:

• Put cherries in a clean, 1-quart glass jar; add sugar. Fill the rest of the jar with vodka. Place lid on jar and shake.
• Store jar in a cool, dark area for 1 to 4 months, shaking jar occasionally.

Steps:

• 1. Pit the cherries, cut them in half, and put them in a large bowl. Using a potato masher, carefully mash the fruit to extract as much juice as possible. Strain the juice through a large fine-mesh strainer, pressing the fruit with a sturdy spoon. (You should have about 8 cups.) Reserve the mashed cherries in the freezer or refrigerator for later use. If using jarred cherries, drain the fruit and set the juice aside before halving and mashing the cherries. Add any pressed juice to the reserved jarred juice.
• 2. In a lidded 1-gallon glass jar, combine the juice with the brandy and sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cover with the lid, and set aside in the refrigerator for 24 hours, occasionally stirring or carefully shaking the jar.
• 3. Bring 2 cups of the juice to a simmer over medium heat. Taste the sweetened juice and add more sugar, if desired. Stir in the cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg. Then cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool to room temperature. Strain, and discard the spices.
• 4. Stir the spiced juice back into the 1-gallon glass jar with the reserved sweetened juice. Cover loosely with the lid, and set aside for at least 2 weeks before serving, occasionally shaking the jar with care.
• 5. Serve at room temperature in small cordial or wine glasses. Store the remaining cherry bounce in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and butter an 8 x 8" square baking pan.
• BOTTOM LAYER: Combine 1 cup of flour, the butter, and the confectioners' sugar in a bowl.
• Beat until smooth.
• Pat mixture into the prepared pan with fingers, and bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
• TOP LAYER (THIS SHOULD BE MADE WHILE THE BOTTOM LAYER IS IN THE OVEN): In a small bowl, toss frozen cherries with vanilla; set aside.
• In a large bowl, slightly beat the eggs.
• Gradually add the sugar and beat until they are thick and light.
• Add the remaining 1/4 cup flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl and stir with a spoon until blended.
• Stir in the walnuts and cherry-vanilla mixture.
• Immediately spread the cherry mixture over the hot bottom layer and return the pan to the oven.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until the bars are a deep golden brown.
• Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack before serving.