Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

• 1 cup butter
• 2 egg
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 Tbs cherry juice
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache for topping
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• 2 (10 ounce) jars maraschino cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Beat butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
3. Roll into balls about the size of the cherries (larger if desired). Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Drain cherries and reserve juice. Press center of each ball with thumb. Place a cherry in indentation.
5. In a saucepan, heat condensed milk and chocolate chips until chips are melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of mixture over each cherry and spread to cover cherry. (More cherry juice may be added to keep frosting of spreading consistency.)
6. Bake for 10 minutes.
7. Spread a bit more topping over them while still warm to smooth out the tops.
These cookies spread out a lot and grow so to keep the cherry to cookie ratio good don't make the cookie part to big. These freeze well.