Surprise Cherry Cookies

Submitted by: Beverly T.	Country: Canada
Category: Home/Cookies & Squares
Quantity: 48 cookies	Preparation time: 0:20 hr. Cooking time: 0:15 hr.

Ingredients

1 cup	soft butter	250 mL
1 cup	sifted icing sugar	250 mL
2 cups	sifted all purpose flour	500 mL
1/4 tsp	salt	1 mL
1/2 tsp	grated lemon rind (optional)	3 mL
48	maraschino cherries, well drained	48
2	1-oz/30-g squares, semi-sweet chocolate melted	2

Cream together thoroughly butter and sugar.

Sift together flour and salt; add to butter mixture and blend thoroughly. Add lemon rind, if desired.

Using hands, take about 1 tsp/5 mL of dough and shape around a cherry; enclose cherry in dough, pinching together at top.

Place cookie balls 1-in/2.5-cm apart on ungreased baking sheet; bake in preheated oven at 325°F/160°C about 15 minutes.

Cool; then dip top of cookies in melted chocolate.

The surprise: a maraschino cherry inside!