I’m super excited to share one of my all-time favorite confectionery recipes with you – Chocolate Covered Cherries! This classic treat has been around for centuries, and it’s not hard to see why. With a sweet, creamy center, juicy cherry, and a rich chocolate coating, it’s the perfect balance of flavors wrapped up in one delightful bite. This recipe has a special place in my heart, as it brings back fond memories of my childhood. I remember helping my mom in the kitchen, rolling the sweet fondant around the cherries and waiting impatiently for the chocolate to set. It’s a tradition I’ve carried on with my own kids, and it’s just as much fun now as it was back then. I’ve tweaked and perfected this recipe over the years, and trust me, it’s easier than you might think. You don’t need any fancy equipment or ingredients – just some basic pantry items and a little patience. Plus, these homemade candies make the perfect gift for the holidays or any special occasion. So, why not give it a try? I’m sure you’ll fall in love with these Chocolate Covered Cherries just like I did.
Ingredients
- 1/3 c. butter
- 2 c. marshmallow cream
- dash of salt
- 1 tsp. almond flavoring
- 4 c. confectioners sugar, sifted
- 36 maraschino cherries
- 12 oz. chocolate chips
- 1/4 cake paraffin (optional)
Candy Making Steps
- Cream butter.
- Beat in marshmallow cream, salt and flavoring. Add confectioners sugar gradually, mixing well after each addition.
- Turn onto waxed paper and knead well.
- Refrigerate one hour.
- Drain cherries.
- Roll in fondant, covering completely. Chill balls in refrigerator.
- Melt chocolate in double boiler. Dip chilled fondant into chocolate and place on waxed paper to set.
Calorie: 150
Total cooking time: 2 hours
Difficulty level: Medium
The Sweet Saga of Chocolate Covered Cherries
Ah, the humble cherry. Red, ripe, and just begging to be smothered in chocolate. But, my friends, the journey from fruit to sweet treat is not as simple as dipping and devouring. No, it’s a saga that involves butter, marshmallow cream, and the optional but always intriguing cake paraffin. So, let’s embark on this dessert-filled journey together, shall we?
The Butter, The Cream, and the Confectioners Sugar
This tale begins with butter. Not just any butter, but 1/3 cup of the creamiest, most delicious butter you can find. After beating that butter into creamy submission, we bring in the accomplices: 2 cups of marshmallow cream, a dash of salt, and 1 teaspoon of almond flavoring. This motley crew gets beaten together until they’re unrecognizable, and then the real fun begins.
We introduce our confectioners sugar — 4 cups, mind you, sifted of course, because lumpy sugar is only acceptable in coffee. We add it gradually, mixing it in after each addition like a polite guest at a dinner party. Then, we turn it onto waxed paper and knead it well. It’s like a mini-workout, only instead of a six-pack, you get sugar-covered hands. And after this ordeal, what do we do? We banish it to the fridge for an hour. Harsh, but necessary.
The Cherries Meet Their Sweet Fate
While our sugary mixture chills, we turn our attention to the stars of the show: 36 maraschino cherries. Drain them, dry them, and tell them not to worry — it’s for a good cause. Then we roll them in the fondant, covering each one completely. We’re not making any cherry left behind. After a quick chill in the fridge, they’re ready for their final transformation.
The Chocolate Dip and The Optional Paraffin
Now comes the fun part, the part that justifies the existence of 12 oz. of chocolate chips in your pantry: the dipping. We melt our chocolate in a double boiler, because microwaving is for amateurs. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can add 1/4 cake paraffin to the mix. It’s optional, but it does give your cherries that shiny magazine-cover look. One by one, we dip our chilled fondant cherries into the chocolate, placing them back on the waxed paper to set. This is messy fun at its finest, my friends.
The Sweet Conclusion
And there you have it! The epic journey of chocolate covered cherries, from humble beginnings to delectable endings. It’s a journey of butter, marshmallow cream, a dash of salt, almond flavoring, confectioners sugar, maraschino cherries, chocolate chips, and the optional but audacious cake paraffin.
So, next time you bite into a chocolate covered cherry, remember the trials and tribulations it went through to get to you. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll appreciate that sweet, sweet taste just a little bit more. Happy cooking, my friends!
