Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 48 undrained maraschino cherries (reserve 4 tsp cherry juice)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate piece
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Recipe

• 1 combine flour and cocoa; set aside.
• 2 beat butter in a med bowl on med speed until softened.
• 3 add sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• 4 beat until well mixed.
• 5 beat in egg and vanilla, scraping the side of the bowl.
• 6 gradually beat in flour mixture.
• 7 shape dough into 1-inch balls.
• 8 place 2-inches apart on an ungreased cooking sheet.
• 9 press down the centers with your thumb.
• 10 drain cherries, reserving juice.
• 11 place a cherry in the center of each cookie in the depression you made with your thumb.
• 12 combine chocolate pieces and condensed milk in a small saucepan.
• 13 cook and stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted.
• 14 stir in 4 teaspoons of the reserved cherry juice.
• 15 spoon about 1 teaspoon of the chocolate and milk mixture over each cherry, spreading to cover cherry.
• 16 if the frosting is too thick, thin with additional cherry juice.
• 17 bake in a 350°f oven for about 10 minutes or until edges of cookie is firm.
• 18 cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute.
• 19 transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.