Cherry Chocolate Cookies with Chocolate Frosting

We spent the weekend at a family reunion with my husband’s side of the family. There were a lot of water activities involved, and like a dufus I forgot to pack not only my swim suit, but Rachel’s as well. Don’t you just hate it when you do dumb things like that? Thankfully one day was spent on a beach, so I just put her in a little sundress and she played happily in the shallow water and sand while everyone else was boating and riding jet skies.

I spent all of yesterday cleaning and doing laundry, so I didn’t get this post up like I had planned. I found the recipe for these Cherry Chocolate Cookies in a cookbook I checked out of the library several weeks ago. They are nice and soft and chocolaty, and that juicy bite of cherry in the middle is a great surprise. Top ’em off with creamy cherry chocolate frosting and they are downright scrumptious! Everyone in my family loved them. Except the self proclaimed cherry hater. But we won’t count him.

Don’t they look yummy?

Cherry Chocolate Cookies
Cookies:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 jar maraschino cherries (reserve juice)
Frosting:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup powdered sugar
dash of salt
Reserved cherry juice
Melt chocolate chips in a small glass bowl in the microwave at 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds. In a mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar till fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and melted chocolate. Mix well. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt till well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes. Wrap about 1 teaspoon of dough around each cherry. Place on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes. Cool completely on cooling racks. For frosting, melt chips and butter in the microwave at 50% power, stirring often. Add powdered sugar, salt, and enough cherry juice to reach a spreadable consistency. Beat till smooth. Spread on the top of the cookies.

-Makes 3- 3 1/2 dozen cookies