Buried Cherry Cookies

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 42
• 1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, reserve juice (42-48)
• 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 (6 ounce) package semisweet chocolate pieces (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk or 1/2 cup low fat sweetened condensed milk
• 4 teaspoons reserved cherry juice

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350.
• 2 drain cherries, reserving juice. halve any large cherries.
• 3 in a medium mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer, on medium to high speed, for 30 seconds.
• 4 add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl.
• 5 beat in egg and vanilla until combined.
• 6 beat in cocoa powder, and as much of the flour as you can with mixer.
• 7 stir in remaining flour using a wooden spoon.
• 8 shape dough into 1" balls.
• 9 place balls about 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• 10 press your thumb into the center of each ball. place a cherry in each center.
• 11 for frosting:.
• 12 in a small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk.
• 13 cook and stir, over low heat, until chocolate is melted.
• 14 stir in 4 teaspoons reserved cherry juice.
• 15 spoon 1 teaspoon frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover (frosting may be thinned with additional cherry juice, if necessary).
• 16 bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are firm. cool 1 minute on cookie sheet.
• 17 transfer to a wire rack, and let cool.
• 18 note:
• 19 for best results do not substitute imitation chocolate pieces.