Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Goodbye 2010. Although it was a hard year, the last couple of weeks have been full of good times with family and friends (old and new).

I finally got to meet Tara, who has been a blogger friend of mine for a while now. She knows my sister Heather in real life. A while ago Heather had a link to Tara's blog on her blog and I clicked on it and commented and we started visiting each other's blogs. Tara has a new blog (although she is such a busy single mommy/student that she doesn't get to update much) called  Yes, I Make My Own Stuff. No, I'm Not a Dirty Hippie. She is awesome in person too. And I got to spend time with other friends (like Sherami and her family who used to live near me, but now live too far for my taste) and to talk to others on the phone too. I had a great end to 2010 and am looking forward to a good 2011! 

I still have a few Christmas goodies recipes to post so here's another. I promise I'll get a pondering post up pretty soon.  

I have seen a similar recipe on a few different blogs, but I originally found this at A Recipe A Day and tried it out on our neighbors' treats plates. I didn't think the cookie part was special, but loved the bites with the cherry and fudge topping. 

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

1 (10-oz.) jar maraschino cherries
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk

Drain the cherries, reserving 3 teaspoons. juice. Cut cherries in half and set aside. Preheat oven to 350º.

Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the egg, vanilla, and 2 tsps of the reserved cherry juice; beat until well blended.

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and gradually add to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Press your thumb in the middle of each ball and place a cherry half in each indentation.

Put chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until chips melt and the mixture is well blended. Stir in remaining 1 tsp of cherry juice. Spoon 1 tsp mixture over each cherry half. Bake for 10 minutes.

Makes 3 dozen or so depending on the size of your cookies.