COOKIES COVER RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
• Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and stir until smooth. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls about the size of a walnut (larger if desired). Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press center of each ball with thumb.
• Drain cherries and reserve juice. Place a cherry in indentation of each cookie ball.
• In a saucepan, heat condensed milk and chocolate chips until chips are melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of mixture over each cherry and spread to cover cherry. (More cherry juice may be added to keep frosting of spreading consistency.)
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Steps:

• Prep baking sheets. Preheat oven to 325 degrees with two racks in the upper middle and lower middle positions. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Make dough. Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 2 cups of flour and mix on low until the flour is mixed in. The cookie dough will appear very crumbly, but do not add any liquid. Turn it on onto a floured surface and mix in the remaining ¼ cup of flour by hand.
• Roll out and cut. Roll the cookie dough out to ½ inch thickness, dusting the rolling pin with flour if the dough sticks. Cut into 3 x 1-inch strips. Place on a prepared baking sheet, at least one inch apart.
• Bake and cool. Bake the cookies for 20 minutes, until cookies are set and edges are golden brown. Cool completely on wire racks for dipping.
• Dip and decorate. Melt the chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave on LOW for 45 seconds, stirring halfway through. Dip the ends of the cookies in the chocolate and place them on a piece of waxed or parchment paper to set. Add sprinkles, if desired, while chocolate is still melted. If the chocolate hardens too soon, simply melt again in the microwave.
• Store tightly covered at room temperature for 3 days.