Better than Store Bought Chocolate Covered Cherries

By Jennifer McConnell
@Shutterbug81

I actually made these for the first time early this morning, and am truly impressed! These turned out a bit larger than store-bought, and they're so much tastier!!! You can use semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate for these. Also, if you (like me) prefer the type with the liquid center rather than the creamy center, store them in an airtight container for 3-6 days before eating. The centers will liquify with time.

Rating:

★★★★★ 20 votes

Comments:

225 Comments

Serves:

25-30 cherries

Prep:

3 Hr 30 Min

Method:

Stove Top

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Notes from the Test Kitchen:
These are really wonderful! I bought another large jar of cherries today so that I can make them again soon. I doubt there will still be any left 3-6 days from now to see them form more liquid in the center, but even with the smooth cream (which has a wonderful flavor) they are still very juicy and rich.

These are very hard to stay out of, so I am going to share them with my in-laws tonight and take them some. They get 6 and the rest are mine :-)

The next time I make these, however, I will try removing the stems. They tend to fall off after freezing, and I think I could get a smoother look. Also, the fondant does melt quickly, so I will try freezing the cherries then twirling them in room temp fondant and freezing again.

Ingredients

3 c: powdered sugar
1/4 c: margarine or butter
1/4 c: condensed sweetened milk (not evaporated)
4 tsp: vanilla extract
pinch: salt
1 pkg: high end chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet, or dark)
1 jar(s): maraschino cherries, drained and dried, reserve the juice.

How to Make Better than Store Bought Chocolate Covered Cherries

Step-by-Step

1Start by making a fondant - simply combine the first five ingredients until smooth and not sticky. Chill in fridge for an hour.
2Line a baking sheet with wax paper and spread cherries out in a single layer - stems on, if possible. Freeze for an hour.
3When ready to make your chocolate covered cherries, remove fondant and cherries from the fridge/freezer. Since it takes a bit of time to make these, I remove only a few cherries and a bit of fondant at a time so that they don't get too warm and sticky.
4Wrap each cherry in 1-2 teaspoons of the fondant, forming a tight ball. Return cherries to tray and freeze again for an hour.
5Use either the microwave or a double-boiler to melt your chocolate. Thin it down with enough reserved cherry juice to get the proper consistency for dipping.
6Removing a few fondant-wrapped cherries from the freezer at a time, dip them in the chocolate and coat completely. Since my cherries didn't have stems, I did follow the tip of using a toothpick to aid in the dipping process. Let the excess chocolate drip off, then put the cherry on wax paper to rest. Dab a bit of extra chocolate on top to cover any hole left from the toothpick.
7When done, place dipped cherries in the fridge to set. Store in an airtight container in the fridge as well. If you let them be for a few days, the center with be nice and liquidy... but they're good right away too!