| 1 | Preparation time: 45 minutes baking time: 10 minutes In bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. |
| 2 | In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. |
| 3 | Add egg and vanilla to butter-sugar mixture and beat well. |
| 4 | Gradually add dry ingredients to butter-sugar mixture and beat until well blended. |
| 5 | Shape dough into 1-inch balls. |
| 6 | Place on ungreased cookie sheet and push down center of each ball with thumb. |
| 7 | Drain cherries and reserve juice. |
| 8 | Place 1 cherry in center of each indentation. |
| 9 | Heat oven to 350 degrees. |
| 10 | For frosting, put chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in small saucepan. |
| 11 | Heat until chocolate melts. |
| 12 | Stir in 4 teaspoons cherry juice. |
| 13 | If too thick, add more juice. |
| 14 | Spoon 1 teaspoon frosting over each cherry. |
| 15 | Spread to cover cherry. |
| 16 | Bake 10 minutes or until done. |
| 17 | Do not overcook. |
| 18 | Remove to wire rack and cool. |
| 19 | The cookies freeze nicely. |
| 20 | Winner donna m. |
| 21 | Farrell of naperville entered her chocolate covered cherry cookie recipe: "christmas and chocolate-covered cherries are forever entwined in my mind and memories. |
| 22 | Not the expensive department store kind, mind you, with their dark bitter chocolate and runny syrup, but your basic brach"s. |
| 23 | Each christmas found the coveted white box stretching my stocking, two layers of cream-filled heaven with a cherry floating therein--and no requirement to share them with anyone. |
| 24 | "taste and calories have kept me away from the box of delights for many years, even after the incredible discovery that brach"s actually sold these morsels all year long. |
| 25 | (how my parents managed to deceive me on this, i"ll never know). |
| 26 | That is, until my mother-in-law came to chicago one autumn with the ultimate cookie. |
| 27 | A christmas tradition in one bite. |
| 28 | Nostalgia from the oven. |
| 29 | Capable of reducing this 36-year-old woman"s taste buds and mentality to that of my 9-year-old daughter. |
| 30 | A chocolate-covered cherry cookie!" from the chicago tribune annual food guide holiday cookie contest december 4, 198 |
