More Christmas Cookies

As I was baking, I took some pictures of the Chocolate Cherry Cookies in their three stages of production. I think they look so pretty and holiday-ish in the first phase. The first photo is after I have mixed up the batter and formed round balls and place on a cookie sheet. Then you make an indentation in the top of each ball with your finger and place a Marschino cherry that has been drained and blotted from the juice on each cookie.

In the next step, I take a spoonful of chocolate mixture and place on top of the cherry/cookie. (The sauce is made from chocolate chips, condensed milk and a few spoonfuls of the Marschino cherry juice--it stays very thick and does not run, even in the baking process). Then its into the oven and the final result. The only trouble with these cookies is they tend to dry out pretty fast, since the dough is thick and stiff. I find them fun to make and it usually takes me about a half hour preparing time to do a double batch. (Not including baking time). The cherry in the middle makes a nice surprise to most people when they bite into one for the first time. They taste really yummy!