I am a cherry fanatic! I could go off on a major rant about all the things cherry that I love, but I’ll spare you that rant! Let’s just say, if there are cherries involved, I’m all in! I make this Chocolate Cherry Cookie once a year at Christmas time, and it’s my favorite Chrismas cookie. What’s unique about this cookie is that you shape the cookie, top with a cherry, and cover in a fudgy icing which then gets baked – AFTER the icing is placed on the cookie. It works!
This recipe comes from Better Homes and Gardens and dates back to 1981. BH&G claims that this cookie is one of their all-time favorites among readers and food editors. I have not made any changes to the original recipe. There is no way to improve upon this recipe!
Chocolate Cherry Cookies
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Serves: 48 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup sweet, unsalted butter, softened (one stick)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 48 maraschino cherries
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 4 teaspoons cherry juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture, being careful not to overmix.
- Shape dough into 1″ balls and place about 2″ apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Make an indentation in the center of each ball with your thumb.
- Drain cherries, reserving juice for the icing. Half any large cherries. Place a whole or half cherry in the center of each cookie.
- For frosting: In a small saucepan, combine chocolate and condensed milk. Heat until chocolate is melted and stir until mixture is smooth (this step can also be done in a microwave oven, if desired). Remove from heat and stir in 4 teaspoons of the reserved cherry juice.
- Spoon about 1 teaspoon frosting over each cherry. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on wire racks.