Buried Cherry Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 jar maraschino cherries , 10 ounce
• 0.5 cups butter , softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 0.25 teaspoons baking powder
• 0.25 teaspoons salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 squaress bittersweet chocolate , 1 ounce
• 0.25 cups sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. 2

   Drain the cherries and reserve about 2 tablespoons of the juice. Cut the cherries in half if large, and set aside.

3. 3

   Beat the softened butter, sugar, baking powder, and salt with an electric mixer until thoroughly creamed and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg and almond extract, then add the flour gradually, and beat just until blended. Pinch off pieces of dough, roll into 1-inch balls, place the balls on an ungreased baking sheet, and press your thumb in the center of each cookie to make a dent. Place a cherry or cherry half in the indentation of each cookie.

4. 4

   In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate with the condensed milk, and stir until smooth. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of reserved cherry juice to the mixture, or as needed, to thin the frosting; frosting will be thick. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of frosting over each cherry, covering the cherry completely.

5. 5

   Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until firm and slightly browned, about 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minute before removing, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling.