Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies – The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2012

I’m proud to announce that I participated in the second annual Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!

What is it you ask? It was the fabulous idea of two blogs: Love and Olive Oil and The Little Kitchen:

“The premise is this: sign up. Receive the addresses of three other food bloggers. Send each of them one dozen delicious homemade cookies. Receive three different boxes of scrumptious cookies from other bloggers. Eat them all yourself (or, you know, share. If you want. No judgment either way.) Post your cookie recipe on your blog. See everyone else’s cookie recipes. Salivate. Get lots of great ideas for next years’ cookie swap. Rinse and repeat.”

Last year I also participated and make Stuffed Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies. This year I was excited to make a cookie I had tried a couple of years ago at a neighborhood cookie party: Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies!

These cookies won “Best Tasting Cookie” that year. It’s obvious why…they are freaking delicious!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies (Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained, reserve juice
• 1 (6-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and soda, blending well; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter or margarine and sugar on low speed until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture; beat until smooth and well blended. With hands, shape dough into 1-inch balls; place on ungreased baking sheet. Press down center of dough with thumb. Drain Maraschino cherries well, reserving juice. Place a cherry in the center indention of each cookie.

In small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk; heat over low heat until chocolate is melted. Stir in 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the reserved cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the topping over each cherry, spreading to cover cherry. If frosting seems too thick, thin with a little more cherry juice. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, or until done. Remove to wire rack to cool.

Printable Recipe

I sent all the cookies to the three people I was matched to. In return, I received 3 (one dozen) boxes of cookies! Sounds like a great deal right!

This year The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap is excited to be partnering with Cookies for Kids' Cancer, a national non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer, which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease. Cookies and a good cause!

Obviously it’s too late to sign up this year but if you have an active food blog and would like to participate, you can visit The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap page here and sign up for next year.

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