Snow Day & Christmas Cookies

It seems like snow days are the only days I write on here. Well, actually, I don't really ever write on here.... anyways... It's extremely cold outside today and pretty much all of Michigan had a snow day. I'm snug at home with a big fire going in the fireplace, baking cookies, reading, and uploading some new photos to facebook.

Here's a peak at what we woke up to yesterday... and the reason for our snow day today:





On a lighter note, here's one of the kinds of cookies I made. They're called Buried Cherry Cookies from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I got in college. If you've got an hour to spare, these things are delicious! I love chocolate and Zach loves fruit so this was a great combination of the two.

BURIED CHERRY COOKIES

Ingredients:
1 10-oz jar maraschino cherries
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces*** do not substitute imitation chocolate pieces for semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (or low-fat sweetened condensed milk)

Step 1: Prep the cherries and make the dough
Drain cherries, reserving 4 tsps of the juice. Halve any large cherries.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds on medium speed. Add the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in cocoa powder and as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. The dough will be dark and sticky.


Step 2: Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press your thumb into the center of each ball. Place cherry in each center.




Step 3: Make the frosting
For the frosting, in a small saucepan combine chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk. Cook and stir over LOW HEAT until chocolate melts. Stir in 4 tsp cherry juice. (use more juice to make a thinner frosting). Spoon 1 tsp of frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover.





Step 4: Bake
Bake about 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Cook on cookie sheet 1 minute then transfer to wire rack and let cool.


Nutrition Info: 97 cal, 4g fat, 13mg chol, 56mg sodium, 14g carb, 0g fiber, 1g protein