Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies

Ingredients

• 0.3 teaspoon double-acting baking powder 
• 0.3 teaspoon baking soda 
• 0.5 cup butter softened
• 0.5 cup cocoa 
• 1 large eggs 
• 1.5 cups flour all-purpose
• 10 ounce maraschino cherries 
• 0.3 teaspoon salt 
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 0.5 cup condensed milk sweetened
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract 

Equipment

• baking sheet
• sauce pan
• oven
• hand mixer

Directions

1. Drain cherries, reserving 3 teaspoons juice.
2. Cut cherries in half, and set aside.
3. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; add egg, vanilla, and 2 teaspoons reserved cherry juice, beating until blended.
4. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients; gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until blended after each addition. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, and place on ungreased baking sheets. Press center of each ball with thumb, and place 1 cherry half in indentation.
5. Cook chocolate and milk in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Stir in remaining reserved cherry juice. Cool slightly. Spoon 1 teaspoon mixture over each cherry half.
6. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Freeze up to 3 months.