Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Are there people out there who only make one kind of Christmas cookie? Obviously I am not one of those people, what with the three and a half cookie recipes I’ve already shared and more to come. If you’re a one batch of cookies kind of household, then just consider this a plethora of choices for this festive season. One thing I should mention though; I haven’t eaten 13 batches of cookies. That’s something I do not recommend, and fortunately, cookies make the perfect holiday gift!

These cookies are fun because they are almost like candy, except they’re cookies! They are also full of rich chocolate flavor, and a little decadent. The chocolate provides a nice balance to all of the butter cookies I’ve written about so far, and cherries go very well with the season. These cookies also happen to be beautiful. Whomever you serve them to will be very impressed!

48 maraschino cherries with stems
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon reserved maraschino cherry liquid
1/2 cup non dairy butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons unsweetened non dairy milk

In a large bowl beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder, and beat until combined. In a blender, mix the water and ground flaxseed until thick and frothy. Add to the butter mixture with 1 teaspoon of the cherry liquid and combine. Add the flour and mix until combined.

Heat the oven to 350º. Form 1 teaspoon of dough around each maraschino cherry and place in a paper candy cup. Place the candy cups on a baking sheet. Bake for 14 minutes, or until the top of the balls is dry and slightly firm to the touch. Remove from the oven.

While the cookies are in the oven, melt the chocolate chips in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the cherry liquid, and 2 tablespoons of non dairy milk and stir. Spoon the chocolate mixture onto the warm cookies. Allow to cool before eating.