Fudgey Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

You guys, Valentine’s Day is next week already! I was 100% that teenager who never got a carnation sent to them in school and had to watch in horror as everyone else did. These days, I couldn’t care less about Valentine’s Day – my Valentine is pretty good at telling me on the regular how much he loves me. But I LOVE watching my kids enjoy it! They get so excited about making special Valentine’s for their friends, exchanging them, and their class party. (P.S. If you and your kids are looking for unique ideas, there are lots of free printables in my Valentine’s Day section!) These Fudgey Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies would be perfect for a class party. My kids all loved them, even more than a more traditional cookie that is coming you way soon. These taste like a super fudgey brownie with a subtle cherry flavor.

TIPS FOR CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY COOKIES

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

One of the super fun things about this recipe is the chocolate ganache on top that is lightly flavored with maraschino cherry juice. There are lots of chocolate ganache recipes out there. The ratio of chocolate to heavy cream makes the difference in how firm it gets after cooling. The end result of this one is that it won’t drip off your cookie once cooled, but you can leave a fingerprint in it – sort of middle of the road. The type of chocolate you buy does make a difference. I would recommend name brand chocolate as it does tend to melt better. If your ganache refuses to get smooth, put it in the microwave in 10 second intervals, whisking a lot in between, until it behaves being careful not to overheat. Do not make this ganache until all of your cookies are baked. You want to drizzle them all at once while the ganache is liquidy.