Take the cherries out of the maraschino jar and put them on paper towels to drain. Pat the tops of the cherries with a paper towel. Save the cherry juice in the jar to use later in the recipe.
10 ounce jar maraschino cherries
Put the butter in the bowl of a mixer and beat it for 30 seconds until it is soft. Then add the sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda and beat until well combined.
1/2 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Add the egg and vanilla and mix it again until the batter is smooth.
1 egg, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Add the cocoa powder and flour to the mixing bowl and mix until combined.
1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Use a cookie scoop to make 1 inch balls. Press down in the center of each ball with your thumb or a round spoon and put a cherry in the center of each cookie. Don't bake them yet though!
Combine the semi sweet chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan. Heat it, stirring, until the chocolate is melted.
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in 4 teaspoons of the reserved cherry juice..
Use a spoon to place about 1 teaspoon of the frosting on each cherry. Spread it around to completely cover the cherry.
Bake the cookies for 10 minutes until they are brown on the bottom.