Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
•  2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. 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). I just use a cookie scoop. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press center of each ball with thumb.
3. Drain cherries and reserve juice. Place a cherry in indentation of each cookie ball. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes
5. In a saucepan, heat condensed milk and chocolate chips until chips are melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of cherry juice. I put it into a ziploc bag and cut the tiniest hole in one corner, then chilled it while the cookies were baking. Once cookies are baked and slightly cooled, drizzle about 1 teaspoon of mixture over each cookie. (More cherry juice may be added to keep frosting of spreading consistency.)
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Options:
* To save time, skip the frosting and just add chocolate chips to the cookie dough.  Top them off with a sprinkle of Powdered Sugar.
*Use any leftover chocolate drizzle for ice cream topping.