Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies... and Conversation

 To bake or not to bake for your family & friends..... This is the question.

 Last year I made these cranberry haystack cookie/disasters, as well as tinny tasting shortbread cookies. I think the tin taste came from the cornstarch. They looked halfway decent. Really, they tasted fine. Just not up to par with what I consider "give-able".

 In the future, I will no longer make things I've never made for anyone other than myself. Especially for a gift! I would recommend the same for any of you venturing on a home baked Christmas gift.

 Lastly, I suggest something easy. Last year I made two different things. This year I will make one. Last year I made cranberry, chow mein, marshmallow, white chocolate haystacks that had to be cooked on the stove, moulded together with the right ratio of cranberry to marshmallow. Then, all had to be refrigerated for an hour or more, (I had over 150.. and one fridge) before I could even put them in the 20 individual containers I had strewn across the kitchen. Not to mention the tinny, ridiculously delicate shortbreads.

 THIS year, I am either not making anything, OR I am making something I have made before. Something I know everyone will love. Something you can't get enough of:

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies


1/2 cup butter

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1  jar maraschino cherries
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)

 Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and stir until smooth. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Make a thumbprint in the centre of each ball.

 Drain cherries and save juice. Place a cherry in the thumbprint of each ball.

 In a saucepan, heat condensed milk and chocolate chips until chips are melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of mixture over each cherry and spread to cover cherry. 

 Tip: You can add cherry juice to the mixture as you go to keep it spreading consistency.

 

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

 Just one last tip. Just looking out for you.  If you're anything like me, once you get started on anything like this you keeping adding to the list of people receiving them. Keep it as simple as you can. Last year I made for over 15 people. This year it will be for 10 tops and that's if I do it at all. 


 Keep it so it's always fun. After all, that's what it all started with, right?