Chocolate Covered Cherries Cookies

I found these chips the other day at Walmart and that is what prompted this recipe.  I did not find a recipe that used cherry chips so I made this one up.  My goal is for it to taste like chocolate covered cherries you get at Christmas time.  I hope I was successful.

The recipe is just like a regular chocolate chip cookie.  I haven't shown you yet my secret ingredient.

To 2 sticks softened butter add 3/4 cup sugar.

3/4 cup packed brown sugar.

Beat those ingredients well.

Add 2 eggs one at a time and beat between them.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Add 1/2 cup cocoa.

Mix well.  Don't know if you can see this or not but I now have a countertop covered in cocoa.

Add 1 teaspoon baking soda.

Add 2 cups plain flour a little bit at a time, mixing well between additions.

This is my secret ingredient.  A friend shared this tip with me years ago.  Add a package of vanilla pudding to your cookie mix and they will stay nice and soft.  I was going to put chocolate in these cookies but did not have chocolate.

Now add the cherry chips.

Mix well. Preheat oven to 350.

Scoop up cookies and place on a cookie sheet with parchement paper.  Place in the oven for about 9 minutes.

Straight from the oven.  Let stand on the cookie sheet for a few minutes.

Let the cookies cool completely.

Now it is time to make the glaze to go on top.  I wanted this to taste like the liquid inside the chocolate covered cherries.

I started with about a cup of powdered sugar.

I added about a tablespoon of milk.

Then I added some left over maraschino cherry juice.  I saved this just for these cookies.

Mix it well.  Keep adding a little bit at a time until you have the consistancy you want.  I like the light pink color too.

I poured it into a plastic sandwich bag to drizzle over the cookies.

Snip the end of the bag just a little bit.

Then drizzle over the cookies.

The cookies all drizzled.

Doesn't that look good?

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups cherry chips