Valentine's Day Cookies

"Ah Amore," love is always in the air when it comes to Valentine's Day. Are you looking for something a little special for this year's Valentine's Day? If you're looking for something besides a box of chocolates to give to your significant other, you might consider the Buried Cherry Cookies. A gift that is made from the heart will include chocolate and cherries.

You can arrange them in a heart shape, on a platter. Before you place the Valentine's Day cookies on the platter, you may want to include a red doily under the Valentine's Day cookies and then sprinkle it with a little powder sugar. A nice finishing touch can be some coloured cellophane wrapping, tied with a white ribbon. The piece de resistance would be to add a red rose captured in the ribbon.

Ingredients:

One ten ounce jar of cherries

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup of sugar

¼ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. baking soda

1 egg

1 ½ tsp vanilla

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup all purpose flour

1 cup semi sweet chocolate pieces (Godiva preferred)

½ cup sweetened condensed milk

Steps:

You will need to drain the cherries, but keep the juice. Halve any of the large cherries. You will then beat butter with a mixer for 30 seconds. (Watch out, because the electric mixer loves to shoot butter everywhere! At least in my kitchen). Add the sugar, baking powder, and baking soda, also a ¼ tsp salt. Beat until the ingredients are combined, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg and the vanilla until they are well mixed. Next the cocoa powder and flour need to be added. You may have to add the rest of the ingredients by hand, once the mixer finds the job tough.

You will need to shape the dough into 1 inch balls. (It's best to get out your measuring stick here- okay probably not, but get as close to the same shape for all dough as possible!) Place the dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press your thumb into the dough to make a little depression for the cherries to sit in.

For frosting you will need a small sauce pan. In it you need the chocolate and the milk from the ingredients list. Cook and stir until the chocolate melts, at low heat. Stir in 4 tsp cherry juice. Use one tsp of frosting over the cherry. In other words make sure it is covered completely.

Bake the cookies at 350 degrees, for 10 minutes.

This Valentine's Day Cookies recipe has come from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.