Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Recipe Index:  Desserts > Candy

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
12 ounces maraschino cherries, no stems
6 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice

Directions
Drain the cherries well, reserving juice. Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, continue beating until well mixed.
Slowly add the dry ingredients, beating until well combined (the dough will be very stiff).
Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Using your thumb (or handle end of wooden spoon), make an indentation in the middle of each cookie, large enough to hold a cherry. Place a drained cherryin each indentation.
In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and stir in about 3 teaspoons of the reserved cherry juice, mixing well. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the hot frosting onto each cookie, completely covering the cherry.
Bake cookies in a preheated 350 degrees F. oven for 10 minutes. They will not look done, but they will be. Leave on cookie sheets a few minutes before removing or they will fall apart. Cool completely on racks.
Yield 32 cookies