Just in time for Valentine’s Day, folks! If your special someone is a lover of chocolate covered cherries, then this is the recipe for you. In all honesty Mike and I don’t really do much for V-Day.  The most romantic gesture I make is buying him all the half-priced chocolate covered cherries I can find on February 15th. A few months ago I bought a couple of jars of maraschino cherries with the intention of making homemade chocolate covered cherries to surprise him. That never happened.

I figured the next-best thing I could do is transform them into chocolate covered cherry cookies. After all, what else was I going to do with these cherries?

I was kind of doubtful about these cookies at first because the frosting is spread on prior to baking, but they actually turned out really well! The best thing about these cookies is I’ve used up one jar of the maraschino cherries. I now have only one jar left… and I think I’ll turn it into cherry limeade with a healthy splash of champagne (or vodka). Yum 🙂

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies
makes 4 dozen cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 ounce jar of maraschino cherries, drained, liquid reserved
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and cocoa powder. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in salt, baking powder, and baking soda until combined.
4. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Slowly add in flour and cocoa powder mixture and mix until combined.
5. Shape dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Place on parchment-lined baking sheets.
6. Make an indentation in the middle of each cookie with a finger and place a cherry into the middle of each cookie.
7. For frosting, melt chocolate chips in sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan over low heat or in a glass bowl. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and add in 4 teaspoons of reserved cherry juice.
8. Spoon 1 tablespoon of frosting over each cookie. Bake cookies for 10 – 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

recipe slightly adapted from Taste of Home