VGP #16 Buried-Cherry Cookies

I think these are some of the prettiest cookies I've made all month, and I LOVE the flavors. You make an almond cookie (Kat, you could do vanilla), put a maraschino cherry on top, then "bury" the cherry under a bake-able chocolate frosting! Mmm...

But, have you ever actually bought maraschino cherries? I never had before, so imagine my frustration when they weren't by the canned fruit, the baking stuff, nor the ice cream toppings! And I had a crying kid in my cart. And the two workers I asked didn't speak enough English to know what a maraschino cherry was. And I sure as heck was not going to another store just for one thing, and the clock was ticking towards preschool pick-up time. Amazingly I finally found them on a shelf of mixed drink ingredients in the back of the wine section. Geez.

Anyway...SURPRISE!

1 10-oz jar maraschino cherries

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tsp almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped (could use semisweet, I used a combination)

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (fat-free works just as well!)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Drain cherries, reserving juice, and take the stems off. Count the cherries and if necessary, halve enough to make 36 pieces. In a large bowl beat butter on high for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat in egg and almond extract until combined. Beat in flour.

2. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Lightly press thumb into each ball and place a cherry in each center.

3. For frosting: In a small saucepan combine chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. Cook and stir over low heat until chocolate melts. Stir in 4 tsp of the reserved cherry juice. Spool 1 slightly rounded teaspoon of the frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover. OR what I did was put the frosting in a large ziploc bag and cut off one corner like a piping bag. Squeeze the bag, piping the frosting in a circular motion over each cherry piece to cover.

4. Bake for about 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are firm and just start to brown. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies