Chocolate Cherry Cookies

This is the recipe I decided to try. They are more difficult than I wish they had been; you have to roll the dough into balls and then place cherries on top. The recipe says to frost the cookies before baking, but I found the frosting stuck to the pan and then I couldn't get the cookies off. If I make them again, I will frost the cookies AFTER I bake them.

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
48 maraschino cherries (about one 10-ounce jar), undrained
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter medium-to-high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down center of each ball with your thumb. Drain cherries, reserving juice. Place a cherry or cherry half in the center of each cookie.

For frosting, in a small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and the sweetened condensed milk. Heat until chocolate melts. Stir in 4 teaspoons of the reserved cherry juice.

Spoon about 1 tsp. frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover cherry. (If necessary, thin frosting with additional cherry juice). Bake in preheated oven about 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks, cool. Makes 48.