Decadent

Cream Cheese Cherry Brownies
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped maraschino cherries
1 tsp maraschino cherry juice
1 egg
1 box fudge brownie mix
water, oil and eggs to make the brownies

Heat oven to 350°. Grease bottom of 8 or 9 inch square pan. Beat cream cheese, sugar, cherries, cherry juice and 1 egg. Set aside.
Make brownie batter according to directions on box. Spread half of batter in pan. Spread cream cheese mixture over batter. Spoon remaining batter on top; spread gently to cover the best you can.
Bake about 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting. Store covered in fridge.
*I added a little more of the chopped cherries and it still had a pretty subtle cherry taste so if you want more cherry and less chocolate taste, then I would double the chopped cherries. This would also be good with a chocolate frosting with maybe some cherry juice mixed in.
I'm kind of tired of typing the word "cherry" now. It's starting to look weird.

Cherry Chocolate Cookies

Okay, whenever we get a box of chocolates, I tend to avoid the ones with cherries - just not usually fond of that combo. But these. These are so very good. I ate several of them!

Cherry Chocolate Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Combine dry ingredients and mix in until smooth. It will be thick.
Roll into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Drain cherries, reserving the juice. Press center of each ball with thumb and place a cherry in the indentation.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool. Frost with this frosting:

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tsp cherry juice

Heat the condensed milk and chocolate chips in a saucepan until the chips are melted. Stir in the cherry juice. Spoon or drizzle over the cherries in the center of the cooled cookies. The frosting will harden a little eventually but you might not be able to wait that long!
You can cut the cherries in half if you prefer less cherry and more chocolate.