Buried Treasure Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 jar (10 oz.) maraschino cherries cut in half
• 1/2 c. butter or margarine
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 c. flour

Frosting

• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. sweetened condensed mil

Directions

To make cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain cherries, reserving juice, Cut in half. In medium bowl, use electric mixer to beat butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla. Beat in cocoa powder and as much flour as possible with mixer. Stir in remaining flour. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press thumb into center of each ball. Place 1 cherry half in each center round side up.
To bake cookies: Bake for 10 mins or until edges are firm. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Transfer to wire rack. Cool completely.
To make frosting: In small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Cook, stirring, over low heat until chocolate melts. Stir in 4 tsp. reserved cherry juice. Spoon 1 tsp. frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover. (Frosting may be thinned with additional cherry juice if necessary.)

These are best made a day before, the cookie is a bit dry, but the cherries really soften them up when they sit overnight.