Recipe: Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
Yield: 48

1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sguar
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
48 Maraschino cherries (drained - reserve juice)

Frosting

6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Cherry Juice (4 to 5 tsp.)

Preparation time: 45 minutes - Baking time: 10 minutes

1. In bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, salt and
baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, beat
butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla
to butter-sugar mixture and beat well. Gradually
add dry ingredinets to butter-sugar mixture and beat
until well blended.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased
cookie sheet and push down center of each ball with
thumb. Drain cherries and reserve juice. Place
1 cherry in center of each indentation. Heat oven to
350 Degrees F.3. For frosting, put chocolate chips and sweetened
condensed milk in small saucepan. Heat until chocolate
melts. Stir in 4 teaspoons of cherry juice. If
too thick, add more juice.

4. Spoon 1 teaspoon frosting over each cherry.
Spread to cover cherry. Bake 10 minutes or until
done. Do not overcook. Remove to wire rack and
cool. The cookies freeze nicely.

Recipe from The Chicago Tribune - Recipe was the
winner in the Annual Food Guide Holiday Cookie
Contest - December 4, 1986 - recipe of Donna M.
Farrell.