Chocolate cherry cookies

225g dark chocolate, chopped, 125g unsalted butter, softened, 200g soft light brown sugar, 2 eggs, beaten, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 150g plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 100g desiccated coconut, 150g natural coloured glacé cherries, washed, dried and chopped, 2 tbsp whole milk, 6 tbsp icing sugar

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water or in the microwave.
Cream the butter and soft light brown sugar until pale and light. Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well between each addition and then add the vanilla extract. Add the melted chocolate and mix until smooth. Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt over the mixture. Add the coconut, cherries and milk then combine. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until firm.
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cover two solid baking sheets with baking paper and tip the icing sugar into a bowl. Scoop a heaped tsp of the cookie dough into the palm of your hand and roll into a smooth ball roughly the size of a small walnut. Roll the cookie in the icing sugar to coat thickly and put on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, keeping the cookies spaced well apart. Bake in batches on the middle shelf of the oven for about 12 minutes until the top is firm but not crisp. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets.