Chocolate Cherry Cookies

I have mixed feelings about these cookies.

Pros:  They are unique. They have a delicious frosting.  They are chocolatey and rich.
Cons:  They are somewhat crumbly.  The maraschino cherry will shrivel up if you don't serve these fresh.  MUST EAT WARM OUT OF OVEN.  That will solve both problems.

And with that, here are the COOKIES!
Please keep in mind that I am NOT a photographer, that would be a whole other challenge in and of itself.  Also, I should have, but didn't try to make the cookies look cute on a plate.  What you see, is what you get right after you pull the cookies out of the oven and stick cherries on half of them. And a few might have been sampled. :)

Chocolate Cherry Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 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
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

1. Preheat oven to 350.
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). 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. In a saucepan, heat condensed milk and chocolate chips until chips are melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of mixture over each cherry and spread to cover cherry.  (I usually do this, but did not this time.) 
5. Bake 8-10 minutes.