SWEETS

Fudgy Chocolate-Cherry Cookies For Your Valentine

These cookies are fudgy (almost brownie-esque), just the tiniest bit fruity, and crowd-pleasers for all ages (I almost had to call them “Chocolate Cookies” instead of “Chocolate-Cherry Cookies” because OMG, six-year-old, STEP AWAY FROM THE MARASCHINOS).

CHOCOLATE CHERRY VALENTINE’S COOKIES 

What you need:

  • 1-1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup  unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup  butter or margarine, softened
  • 1 cup  sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon  salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon  baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon  baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons  vanilla
  • 1 small jar undrained maraschino cherries
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces (I used dark chocolate)
  • 1/2 cup  sweetened condensed milk

What you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, & baking soda.

3. In a second bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well.

4. Stir dry ingredients into butter/sugar and mix well. The dough will be quite dry.

5. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls (you may need to squeeze them a bit to get them to hold their shape) and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down in the center of each one with your thumb.

6. Drain the cherries, reserving the juice, and cut them in half. Place half a cherry in the center of each cookie.

7. Bake 10 minutes, then cool 10-15 minutes.

FROSTING

Combine chocolate chips and milk in a small bowl and microwave in 30-second increments until chocolate melts. Stir in cherry juice, and spoon a little frosting over each cherry-topped cookie, using the back of the spoon to create a swirly pattern.

(You can also drizzle over a little melted chocolate, as shown here.)

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