Chocolate Covered Cherry cookies

These are a little work, but are always a big hit. Not hard to do, just takes time cause of all the steps. Yummy!

7-9 min. . 375’F

DOUGH
½ cup sugar
¾ cup butter, softened
1-teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa

FILLING
¼ cup butter
1-tablespoon brandy or ½ teaspoon brandy extract
1 cup powered sugar
TOPPING
36 maraschino cherry (drained on paper towel)
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon oil

In large bowl, combine sugar, butter, vanilla and egg yolk; beat until light and fluffy. Add flour and cocoa; beat until well mixed. Shaped rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1 in. balls; place 1 in. apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With index finger, make indentation in center of each
Bake at 375’F. for 7-9 mins. Or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets, cool for 10 mins.
In a med. Bowl, combine all filling ingredients; beat until smooth.
Spoon ‘bout ½ teaspoon into cooled cookie. Press cherry into filling.
In small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and oil. Cook over low heat until melted, stirring constantly. Spoon or drizzle over cherries on each cookie let stand until chocolate is set.
Yield: 3 dozen cookies

All-Fruit Mincemeat Cookies

We've made this twice. the mincemeat recipe makes enough for 4 batches of cookies! But one year, Vic was making the cookies (I had made the mincemeat) and she threw all of it (may only have been a half batch, so still twice as much as the recipe called for) into the cookie dough.
Turned out awesome! So, it can be done... can't remember if we added more flour or not to the cookies...
They were VERY moist. I remember that much.

Mincemeat - All-Fruit
YIELD: 8 cups

4 cups chopped unpeeled apples
2 cups raisins, chopped
1 cup snipped dried apricots
1 6-oz can (¾ cup) frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
¾ cup water
¼ cup honey
1 tsp. Ground allspice
½ tsp. Salt
2 tbsp. Brandy

In 4.5qt Dutch oven stir together the apples, raisins, apricots, apple juice concentrate, water honey allspice and salt. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes more or till liquid has nearly evaporated, stirring occasionally. Stir in the brandy. Cool. Store, covered in the refrigerator.

Mincemeat Drop Cookies
350°F YIELD: 6 dozen

1 cup margarine or butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. Baking powder
¼ tsp. Baking soda
2 cups All-Fruit Mincemeat (see recipe)
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

In a large mixing bowl beat the margarine with an electric mixer on medium to high speed about 30 seconds or till softened. Add half the flour to the margarine. Then add the sugar, eggs, baking powder and baking soda. Beat till thoroughly combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the remaining flour. Stir in the All-Fruit Mincemeat and nuts.
Drop dough by rounded tsp. About 2” apart onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in a 350°F oven for 11 to 13 minutes or till lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheets for 1 minutes. Remove cookies; cool on wire racks.