Cherry-Filled Mini Muffins

Directions

1. 1
   Spray a mini muffin pan (24-cup size) with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. 2
   Wash and pit the cherries, leaving the stem intact. (Optional: remove the pit and the stem.)
3. 3
   With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together for 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in milk and almond extract. Thoroughly stir in the flour and baking powder by hand.
4. 4
   Divide batter among muffin cups, about 2 heaping teaspoons per cup. Put one cherry into each cup, pushing it in almost to the bottom. (Blot them with a paper towel first if they look messy. This will keep the juice from seeping out all over the tops of the muffins while baking.)
5. 5
   Bake 10 minutes.
6. 6
   Put muffin pan on baking rack and run a thin knife around the edges of all the muffins. I usually don't have any problems with these sticking, but occasionally some cherry juice will cause one to stick a little. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely.
7. 7
   Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar when completely cooled.