Chocolate Covered Cherries
18 Comments
Posted: 12/08/18
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Do you love Chocolate Covered Cherries as much as me? I grew up on the store bought treats, but now that I know how to make them at home I’ll never have them another way. These are the perfect Christmas treat recipe. Your holidays won’t be complete without these!
Memories. They are a great thing aren’t they! As I get older they get a little bit more treasured every year. I also try to focus on creating them for my kids. These Chocolate Covered Cherries made me reminisce about Christmas as a child.
You see, no one like them but my Dad and I, so we always fought over them! Not sure why we fought, as there were plenty to go around. We always ate the ones from a box, but I had to try to make my own this year!
They weren’t nearly as hard as I had it in my head they would be, just took a bit of time and planning. You just take a Maraschino Cherry, roll it in a powdered sugar mixture and dip it in chocolate almond bark.
The hardest thing is just waiting to let them sit up between the rolling in powdered sugar and dipping. I filled in that time by making a batch of my famous Chocolate Covered Potato Chips. Also, these are best if they sit for two weeks, but I dug right into a few and thought they were great too!
Contents
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Ingredients Needed
- Powdered sugar
- Butter, softened
- Milk
- Almond extract
- Maraschino cherries with stems , well drained
- Chocolate almond bark
- Shortening
How to make Chocolate Covered Cherries Recipe
- Mix together the sugar, butter, milk and almond extract until combined.
- Roll into 1 in. balls and flatten each ball into a circle. Wrap around cherries and tightly roll in hands.
- Place the cherries on a lined baking sheet.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Melt the almond bark and shortening according to package directions.
- Dip cherries into the chocolate, cool on waxed paper to harden. Store in a covered container.
- Best if made 2 weeks ahead!
Expert Tips!
- Dry off cherries on a paper towel, blotting to remove as much juice as possible.
- Keep fondant mixture cold, if your hands start to stick to it, rinse your hands in cold water!
- Refrigerate cherries wrapped in fondant before you dip them in chocolate!
- Use Chocolate Almond Bark instead of chocolate chips to dip them because it’s easier to work with!
- Refrigerate for two weeks or longer, before enjoying for the best results!
Can chocolate covered cherries be frozen?
Actually no, don’t freeze the chocolate covered cherries. Because there is so much moisture in the cherries when they freeze, the cherries expand. The layers crack and though they taste good, they won’t look pretty and presentable at all.
Some other Christmas Treats I grew up making are Oreo Truffles, Peanut Butter Ritz Cookies, White Chocolate Molasses Cookies, and White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps.
Are chocolate covered cherries and cordial cherries the same thing?
The difference between the two is cordial cherries contain alcohol. I like my version because they are family friendly!
What is the best way to store Chocolate Covered Cherries?
- After cooling, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Go grab the ingredients to make this Chocolate Covered Cherries Recipe and start creating your own memories! I assure you they are 100 times better than the store bought ones!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Chocolate Covered Cherries
These chocolate covered cherries are great to make ahead and store in the freezer for the perfect Christmas treat recipe. Your holidays won’t be complete without these!
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup butter softened
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 jars maraschino cherries with stems 8 oz each, drained
- 24 ounces chocolate almond bark
- 2 Tablespoons shortening
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, butter, milk and almond extract. Mix until combined. Knead into a large ball.
- Roll into 1 inch balls and flatten into a 2 inch circle. Place cherry on top and wrap around cherries and tightly roll in hands.
- Place covered cherries on waxed lined baking sheet with stems pointing up.
- Cover loosely and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
- Melt the almond bark and shortening in microwave according to package directions.
- Holding on to stem, dip cherries into chocolate, set on waxed paper to harden. Store in a covered container at room temperature. To get the gooey center we recommend them sitting for 2-4 weeks.
Video
Nutrition Information
Calories: 211kcal (11%)
Recipe Slightly Adapted from Taste of Home
Linda says
I don’t quit understand. Must these be in the fridge 1-2 weeks BEFORE they are served? Or, did you mean “shelf life in fridge” 2 weeks.
Courtney says
You make them 2 weeks in advance and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator!
Sherry says
I made this recipe last year at Christmas time, couldn’t keep them they gone quickly and so easy to make. I did notice that the inside liquifies when they set at room temp. Thanks for the great recipe, yummy
Julie says
Glad you love this one, Sherry!
Malinda says
I’ve always wondered how to make these! I didn’t realize they were so easy!
Julie Evink says
Me neither!
Melissa Howell says
I have always wondered how to make these! I love this!
Julie Evink says
I always assumed it was a lot harder!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
These cherries look absolutely divine! I’ve never had a chocolate-covered one before, so it’s clearly time to get on the bandwagon. 😉
Julie Evink says
What?! Yes you need to try them!
Danielle Green says
These would a cute addition to a holiday fruit tray!
Julie Evink says
Yes great idea!
Jess says
After the 1-2 weeks in the fridge do they have to stay in the fridge or could I possibly wrap them up as gift. Assuming they can be kept outside the fridge shelf life would probably only be a couple days? Thanks!
Julie Evink says
If there’s some extra moisture in them they tend to have some of the syrup from the cherries come out of them. They don’t NEED to be refrigerated, this might happen though at room temperature.
Cynthia Nagel says
Wondering if this would work well with strawberries or blueberries? My hubs won’t touch cherries, but loves the other two fruit.
Julie Evink says
I would think so but it might be a little tricky because they don’t have a stem to hold them by when you dip them.
Cynthia Nagel says
I just wonder if this would work well for blueberries or strawberries? My hubs won’t touch cherries but loves the other two fruit.
Jennifer says
I would suggest sticking the other fruits with a toothpick to have something to help with the dipping process, then you could keep in or remove depending on your own preference