Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Yet another cookie recipe from Anna's website cookiemadness.com 

Oh my goodness...these are AMAZING. I don't like cherries at all, but these cookies I can handle. It's like a warm chocolate/gooey chocolatey cookie with a cherry in the middle. The very best part of the cookie is the homeade chocolate frosting on top. Sweetened condensed milk + chocolate + cherry juice=the best frosting ever.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1  cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 jar maraschino cherries (10 ounce)

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour and cocoa. Set aside.

In another large mixing bowl, beat margarine with an electric mixer at a medium-high speed, about 30 seconds until softened. Add sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, beating well until combine. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually beat in the flour mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place on ungreased baking sheet. Press down center of each ball with thumb. Drain maraschino cherries, reserving juice. Place a cherry in the center of each cookie.

In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. Heat until chocolate is melted. Stir in 5 tsp. of reserved cherry juice. Spoon about 1 tsp. of the frosting over each cherry on unbaked cookie; spreading over to cover cherry. (Frosting may be thinned w/ additional cherry juice if necessary).

Bake in preheated oven set on 350 degrees for about 10 min. or until done. Remove to wire rack and cool. Cover and store at room temperature up to two days.

White Russian Tiramisu

This came from the website www.myrecipes.com I had bought some ladyfingers at an Italian shop awhile ago and wanted to use them, hence the tiramisu recipe! I actually it a light recipe. Each serving is 134 calories and 4.5 fat grams. It calls for Kahlua, a coffee liquor, but I wasn't able to find it unfortunately. I think it would've added even more flavor to it, but w/o it it's still really amazing! Personally it tastes exactly like the kind you buy at the Italian restaurants. 

Ingredients:

1 cup ground coffee beans

2 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup Kahlua (coffee-flavored liquer), divided (I used a sugarfree vanilla syrup instead)

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) mascarpone cheese

1 (8 ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

24 ladyfingers (2 3-ounce packages)

2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa, divided

Directions:

Assemble drip coffee maker according to manufacturer's directions. Place the ground coffee in the coffee filter or filter basket. Add cold water to coffee maker and brew. Combine the brewed coffee and 2 tbsp. Kahlua in a shallow dish, and cool.

Combine cheeses in a large bowl. Beat at a high speed of a mixer until smooth. Add sugars and 2 tbsp. Kahlua, and beat until well blended.

Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise.

Quickly dip 24 ladyfinger halves, flat sides down, into coffee mixture; place, dipped sides down, in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish, slightly overlapping landyfinger halves. Spread half of cheese mixture over ladyfingers; sprinkle with 1 tsp. cocoa. Repeat procedure with remaining ladyfinger halves, coffee mixture, cheese mixture, and 1 tsp. cocoa.

Place 1 toothpick in each corner and 1 in the center of tiramisu (to prevent plastic wrap from sticking to cheese mixture); cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hours.