Chocolate-covered Cherry Delights

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 3 cups flour (not sifted)
• 2 (10 ounce) jars maraschino cherries
• 2 cups chocolate chips (6 oz package)
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f, rack in middle position.
• 2 melt butter and mix in sugar.
• 3 let mixture cool.
• 4 add eggs, mix thoroughly.
• 5 add baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla and cocoa, stirring after each addition.
• 6 add flour and mix well (dough will be stiff and a bit crumbly).
• 7 drain cherries, remove stems, reserve juice.
• 8 pat dough into walnut-sized balls.
• 9 place on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet.
• 10 press down in center with thumb to make a deep indentation.
• 11 place one cherry in each indentation.
• 12 in a saucepan, over simmering water (double boiler), combine the chocolate chips and condensed milk.
• 13 heat on low until the chips are melted.
• 14 add approximately 1/8 cup of reserved cherry juice and stir to a thick sauce.
• 15 if sauce is too thick, carefully add a little more juice. test with a teaspoon. if it doesn't glob off, it is too thick.
• 16 spoon the sauce over the center of each cookie, just enough to cover each cherry. make sure it doesn't drip down the sides.
• 17 bake at 350°f for 10-12 minutes.
• 18 let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes.
• 19 remove to rack to finish cooling.