Saturday, December 6, 2008

8 Weeks of Cookies - Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Now that I've done 4 cookies that are traditional for my family to have at Christmas, it's time to move on the the cookies from Matt's family.
Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
These Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies are a favorite of Matt's (I've noticed he has a thing for chocolate cookies). His Mom sent us the recipe for these a couple years ago & I'm not sure where it comes from originally. To me these cookies are taste like rich little brownie bites topped with cherry & frosting, nothing wrong with that at all!

I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa to make the cookie portion of these. This wonderful cocoa is 100% cacao giving my baked goods a intense dark color & chocolate flavor. I think I'd find it hard to go back to using regular cocoa after using this.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder 
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 t vanilla
24 maraschino cherries (I had a 10-oz jar & had one cherry left)
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips (I actually used a mix of semisweet & bittersweet)
1/4 c sweetened condensed milk (use the leftovers to make dulce de leche)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder & salt together, set aside.

In a mixer beat the butter until softened. Add the sugar to the butter & beat until light & fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture & beat until well mixed.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls & place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheets. Use your thumb to make an indentation in the center of each cookie.

Drain the cherries reserving the juice. Remove the stems & cut the cherries in half. Place 1/2 of a cherry into the indentation in each cookie.

Put the chocolate chips & condensed milk in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of the cherry juice. Spoon 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of chocolate over the top of each cherry covering it completely. If the chocolate is too thick add a little more cherry juice.

Bake for 10 minutes & cool on a rack.

Makes 48 cookies

These cookies will freeze well. Individually freeze them on a cookie sheet. Once frozen place them in a box with wax paper between layers then back into the freezer.
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8 Weeks of Cookies
Apricot Foldover Cookies
Swedish Peppernut Cookies

26 comments:

Stacey Snacks said...

Kat,
Like you said, these are very Brownie Like with a cherry on top!
The condensed milk probably makes them even richer!

Stay away from me with these yummy cookies!!!!!!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

These are the same ones I make. I just love these! I think I am going to make them for my cookie swap.

Anonymous said...

They're from the better homes and gardens cookbook. I make the same ones too! They're a bit hit!

Peter M said...

Cherry and chocolate go real well together...wonderful paired with Port.

If I could work in condensed milk in savory dishes...I would!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Chocolate and cherry is a match made in heaven! I don't know what you mean by "leftover" condensed milk. I have never had leftovers when I open a can of condensed milk!

Anonymous said...

Ooooh, I think I've found my new favorite food blog!! Lovely!

Anonymous said...

You mention that these freeze well. Do you freeze before or after baking?

kat said...

Anonymous - You freeze them after baking them.

Jen said...

Yum.

Manger La Ville said...

All I can say is yummy. I love the classic combination of chocolate and cherries, I just went through a box of chocolate covered cherries in a night. (oops!!)

Lori said...

I am not a big fan of the cherry and chocolate combo.They do look good though. Now give me raspberry and chocolate and that is a whole other story. I have something for tomorrow that is similar in the idea of these.

giz said...

Phew...I don't have all the ingredients - can you just imagine the damage I could do with these cookies....oh gosh.

Deborah said...

I love that dark color! I think I could eat the whole batch of these myself.

grace said...

it's like black forest cake in a cookie--much better. :) frankly, that's the best-looking chocolate cookie i've ever seen, even without the cherry and glaze on top. :)

Anonymous said...

this is like the cookie version of chocolate covered cherry cordials-my favorite! can't wait to see what other treats you bake up!

chocolatecup said...

can i use real cherries?

Anonymous said...

Love the red on dark brown contrast. Cherries and chocolate always taste delicious together.

Anonymous said...

Perfect! This is the new and different cookie I need to make this year. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

It's not *hard* to go back to plain cocoa after using the special dark cocoa. It's impossible. I never use anything else!

Amica said...

Thanks so much for posting this recipe! I made it during the holidays, and I had to make it twice again-- my father and my brother LOVED them. They were wonderful. :)

Chaya said...

I was wondering if I could substitute something for the condensed milk. I want to make these for someone who is on a lactose-free diet.

They look scrumptious. Thanks.

kat said...

Chaya - Oh boy I have no idea. I'm sure there has to be a website somewhere though that has substitutions for things like this....

Tricia said...

I was getting ready to make these and noticed the directions say to mix the sugar and cream, yet I didn't see cream in the ingredients. Is there cream and if so, how much? My thought is watering just at the thought of making these!

kat said...

Tricia - Cream is a verb there meaning to beat, sorry about the confusion i can see how that could happen. I've fixed it so no one else has the same problem.

Unknown said...

These cookies are a big hit at my house. I like them chilled. They last a long time in the fridge and they do freeze well. I freeze them either the way stated here or in baggies.
They seem to taste better after sitting in fridge a day or 2. Thanks for posting.

Unknown said...

These cookies are a big hit at my house. I like them chilled. They last a long time in the fridge and they do freeze well. I freeze them either the way stated here or in baggies.
They seem to taste better after sitting in fridge a day or 2. Thanks for posting.

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