Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies

This recipe is dedicated to my good friend Jeannie. I'll be honest, I've been making this cookie for six years and I've never tried it. Personally, I don't care for chocolate cookies, brownies, chocolate ice cream ... basically, anything chocolate flavored that isn't actual chocolate. But Jeannie swears by these and I make them for her every year. So I'll pass it on to you and you can be the judge.

What you need:

For the Cookie
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

For the Filling
1/4 cup, softened
1 tbl. brandy
1 cup powdered sugar

For the Topping
36 maraschino cherries (with stems is prettier but without will do), drained on paper towels
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (tollhouse ones melt the best)
oil

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 375'F.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, 3/4 cup butter, vanilla and egg yolk; beat until light and fluffy. If you have an electric mixer, I suggest using it. If not, this is a good arm workout. Gradually, add the flour and cocoa. Beat until it is well mixed.

Shape 1-inch balls and place them about 1-inch apart on a cookie sheet and use your finger to an indentation in the center of each cookie. The recipe calls for an ungreased cookie sheet. Personally, I use stone baking sheets, so I don't worry about greased or ungreased. If you don't have one, I highly suggest purchasing one.

Bake them for about 7-9 minutes. They won't brown, so use your best judgement as to when they're done. They shouldn't look shiny and some might crack. If they all crack, they've been baked too long. Remove them immediately from the cookie sheet and cool completely on a wire rack.

When you're ready to add the toppings, spread all the cookies out on wax paper on a table. In the end, this will make your life easier and clean up a cinch. Trust me.

In a medium bowl, combine all the filling ingredients; beat until smooth. Again, I suggest an electric mixer. When it's smooth, spoon a 1/2 tsp. into each cookie. It doesn't have to be exact, just eyeball it using a regular teaspoon out of your silverware drawer and you'll be fine. If you have extra, you can always go back and add more.

Press a cherry into the filling of each cookie. Make sure you have drained the cherries first or you will have a big mess on your hands. I pour the cherries into a strainer in my sink and let it sit while I make the filling. Then, before I put the filling on the cookies, I put them on paper towels to drain.

Now it's time to melt the chocolate. I recommend melting it in the microwave using an acrylic measuring cup or a large coffee cup. Add 1 tsp. of oil to the chocolate chips and microwave it on high for about 20 seconds. Take it out and stir until it is smooth. If it isn't smooth, microwave again for 10 seconds, take it out and stir. If it isn't smooth, repeat this step again until it is. Once it is smooth, dip your spoon in, raise it out of the chocolate mixture and watch how well it drains. It should fall off the spoon smoothly, but not too runny. If it's clumpy, add a little bit more oil. If it's too runny, add more chocolate chips and melt them using the 10 second rule.

This is the part where you'll thank me for spreading your cookies out on wax paper. The cookies will come off the wax paper easily. If you use paper towels, it may stick. If you use nothing, the clean up time will take a looooooooong time.You can add the chocolate by spooning it over each cookie or by drizzling it. I've used both and prefer the look of drizzling the chocolate. I dip my spoon in the chocolate and gently shake it over the cookies. The first shake usually results in a large clump, so I make sure I'm not directly over a cookie for the first shake. Also, don't worry too much about the look of it now, just have fun with it and make sure some chocolate lands on each cookie.

Leave the cookies alone until the chocolate is test (unless you need to taste test them). The more oil you add, the longer it will take to set. Generally, I'll let mine set over night before putting them in an air tight container.

It makes about three dozen cookies and I can guarantee Jeannie will love them!

(Adapted from Pillsbury Holiday Cookies and Candies, Nov. 2001)