Cherry Chocolate Cookies- Show your valentine some love!

Cherry Chocolate Cookies

1 box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix (16.5 oz).
2 eggs (room temperature- set in a cup of warm water for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup real butter - melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup milk chocolate chips

     Mix all ingredient together in a bowl with a spoon.  Use a medium cookie scoop to form dough and place 2" apart on a silpat mat or parchment paper placed on a cookie sheet. 

Cook 9 to10 minutes and remove promptly.  Cool until firm enough to move to a cooling rack.  This will produce a cookie that is firm and slightly flat.  I like this because it makes a good surface
to put  the icing.

Cherry Buttercream Icing

2/3 cup Crisco shortening
1/3 cup butter (room temperature)
1 lb. powdered sugar (approx. 4 cups)
2 Tablespoons Maraschino Cherry juice
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
2 to 3 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon Cherry Jello powder

     Whip butter and shortening with a wisk attachment until smooth and light yellow.  (about 1 minute).  Change to paddle attachment. 

Add 1 cup pdr. sugar and mix it in.  Add another cup powdered sugar and mix it in. 
Add Cherry juice and almond extract.  
Add 1 Tablespoon milk and mix. 
Add 2 more cups pdr. sugar beating each in separately.  
Add one more Tablespoon milk and mix. 
Add cherry jello and mix. 
Add remaining milk if you want your icing to be thinner.  (I only add 2 total Tablespoons of milk).   Add more powdered sugar if it isn't thick enough.
Cover icing bowl with a damp towel until ready to use.  Recipe from Glorious Treats.

Using a large decorator tip and icing bag, begin in the center of the cookie by making a dot of icing.  Continue in a circle around the dot of icing until you have made a rose like spiral of icing.  Cut enough maraschino cherries in half to be able to place one half on each cookie. 

Hope this adds some fun to your Valentine's Day!


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