Description
Delight in these rich Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies featuring a tender cocoa-flavored dough with a juicy maraschino cherry center, all crowned with a luscious chocolate and sweetened condensed milk glaze infused with cherry juice for an extra burst of flavor. Perfectly soft yet slightly chewy, these cookies are a crowd-pleaser for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 48 undrained maraschino cherries (about one 10-oz. jar)
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 1.5 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Topping
- 6 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 4 teaspoons reserved cherry juice (from the drained cherries)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350° F (175° C) to ensure it is ready for baking the cookies.
- Prepare Cherries: Drain the maraschino cherries carefully, reserving the juice separately for the chocolate glaze.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and unsweetened cocoa powder to evenly combine, then set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter using an electric mixer on medium-high speed for about 30 seconds until softened. Add the sugar, kosher salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Beat these ingredients together until well combined and creamy.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Incorporate the large egg and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, beating well to ensure a smooth batter.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the cocoa and flour mixture to the wet ingredients, beating on low speed just until combined to form the cookie dough.
- Form Cookie Balls and Add Cherries: Using a small scoop or spoon, shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on an ungreased baking sheet spaced about 2 inches apart. Press your thumb into the center of each dough ball to create an indentation, then place one maraschino cherry into each indentation.
- Prepare Chocolate Glaze: In a small saucepan over medium to medium-low heat, combine the semisweet chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Stir continuously until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.
- Add Cherry Juice to Glaze: Stir in 4 teaspoons of the reserved cherry juice to thin the glaze and add flavor. If the glaze thickens, gently reheat and add a little more cherry juice as necessary to maintain a smooth consistency.
- Top Cookies with Chocolate: Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the chocolate glaze over each cherry in the cookies, covering the cherry fully.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 minutes until set.
- Cool the Cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Use a small cookie scoop to ensure evenly sized cookies.
- Reserving the cherry juice in step 2 is key for adding flavor and thinning the chocolate glaze.
- If the chocolate glaze thickens too much, gently reheat and add more reserved cherry juice to reach a spreadable consistency.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely to let the chocolate set properly.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze them for longer storage.
