Chocolate Cherry Surprise!

Last Christmas I was invited to my first Holiday Cookie Swap! I cannot tell you how excited I was to toss baking 6 dozen cookies into the holiday shopping and decorating madness. No, really...I was excited. I did a dry-run of two cookies and this recipe won (only because it was easier to make in bulk).

In the end, all of my cookies ended up in the freezer since one of many record-breaking snowfalls for the DC area made driving difficult. Maybe next year...












This recipe makes 4 dozen cookies. 28-31 each

1 1/2 (10 ounce) jar Maraschino Cherries (42-48)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 (6 ounce) package (1 cup) semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk or low-fat sweetened condensed milk

Drain cherries, reserving juice. In a medium mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in cocoa powder and as much of the flour as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining flour using a wooden spoon. Portion & shape dough into 1-inch balls (~tbsp). Place balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press your thumb (or tsp) into the center of each ball. Place a cherry in each center.

To make the frosting: in a small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Stir in +/- 4 teaspoons reserved cherry juice. Spoon 1 teaspoon frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover. Frosting may be thinned with additional cherry juice if necessary. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.