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Ingredients
- 2 (10-oz) jars maraschino cherries (you’ll need 40-50)
- 1/4 c butter, softened
- 2 1/4 c powdered sugar
- 1 T reserved cherry juice
- 1/2 t vanilla extract
- 1/4 t almond extract
- 1 (12-oz) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cake paraffin wax, shredded OR 2 T vegetable shortening
Preparation
Step 1
I made these exactly two weeks to the day before Valentine’s Day, but would have made them a month in advance if I had planned it better. The centers should liquefy after two weeks of storage, but I would have liked to give them extra time just to make sure. The picture below was taken after a week of storage and I’m not sure they will liquefy in time but I have to say they are just as good, if not better, than store-bought in their current state.
Drain the cherries, reserving the juice. Shake them out well in the colander (do not rinse) and then place them on a double layer of paper towels to dry. Place a paper towel on top and roll your hands around on top of it to help dry them off. Leave them on the paper towel (replacing if it is very wet) while you prepare the fondant.
Cream the butter with 1 cup of the powdered sugar, then add 1 T reserved cherry juice, the extracts, and the remaining sugar; stir until mixed. You may have to knead it with your hands as it will be firm like dough.
Melt the chocolate chips and shredded paraffin or shortening until smooth. Dip each cherry in the chocolate using a fork, drawing fork across rim of pan to remove excess coating. Drop coated cherry upside down onto waxed paper, swirling a thread of coating from fork across top for a decorative touch (after a while, I used my finger instead to swirl the chocolate on top). Once all are coated, place in the refrigerator until the chocolate is set; check bottoms and reseal with additional melted coating, if necessary. You want every part of the center covered or it will start to leak out as it liquefies. Store in a cool place (do not refrigerate) for 2 weeks to form cordial.
Using the cherry juice makes a pink center. If you want it to be white, just use milk instead of the juice. If you like, you can soak the cherries in alcohol, such as rum, brandy, Kirsch, port, cognac, amaretto etc., to give them an extra flavor kick! Just drain the cherries and soak them overnight , then drain them again before proceeding with the recipe.
*Update 2/9/11: I made these again, this time only draining the cherries and not drying them at all. I also made the fondant softer, using “Best Life Buttery Spread” in place of the butter b/c I was *gasp* out of butter. It was quite soft when I wrapped it around the cherries. I froze the wrapped cherries for two days before I had time to dip them and after dipping, the centers were already starting to liquefy after a few days. It has now been a week and they are about 50 % clear centers. I’m thinking in another week they’ll be completely liquid!
*Update 2/14/11: today the centers are about 50% liquified, but the liquid isn’t clear–it’s red! To make sure your own centers liquify, I’d suggest not drying them at all, just draining the cherries, and adding less sugar or more liquid to the fondant so that it’s quite soft when you wrap it around the cherries.
I have a kitchen addiction and love to collect & share recipes. My passion is baking but I love to cook as well. The only thing I don't like to do in the kitchen is wash dishes, but my husband generally does them for me in exchange for his dinner.
My husband also loves Cellas – it’s too late to make them for Valentines Day, but I will definitely hang on to this for another time. Thanks!
I consider myself to be an above average chef that will try almost anything and while this recipe and process looked easy I would caution the novice canymaker/chef to not get frustrated too fast. The recipe doesn’t list the necessary 1T of milk in it that you will need to get it to cream together and you may need to play with the amount of sugar. Once you have the fondant I found that it wanted to stick to my hands when trying to shape it, quick fix, vinyl uncoated surgical gloves available at any pharmacy/walmart will make it ten times easier. All that aside, the fondant tasted very good, even better with the cherries, will have to wait for them to liquefy to see how that works out but have full confidence that they will be great. I think they would be well worth the effort for anybody that would like to make them, just have patience
Thanks for your input, Bigdog! If you follow the recipe, your fondant will not be sticky to the touch, but it will be harder to mix. I use a stand mixer, then knead it with my hands, which is necessary since it is so thick and dry. Candy making can be frustrating-kudos to you for making it work! I hope they liquefy for you, but even if they don’t, I think you will like the taste.
As a chocolatier can I encourage you to seek a candy maker to learn from! You should really learn to work with real chocolate. No wax, no chocolate chips. If you are willing to do the work you put into this recipe, real chocolate it worth the extra step. Next research how real cordials are made. Especiallt by the french. If you love them it is REALLY worth it. I learned to make them from a MOF french pastry chef, we pitt the cherries and soaked them in a cherry liqour for 3 months then turn them into cordials. That is a process of rolling the the cherries in a fondant sugar(dry). Real codial are an amazing thing! I hope you keep on in your candy making journy. Good luck
I think this recipe is great, and I think the point is for any semi-experienced baker/ candy maker to be able to use this recipe. Making these with real chocolate is great but most people don’t have unlimited time and funds to learn the process, so I love how these are made. Keep posting great things like this for your novice baker/ candy makers like me! Fun should always be the no. 1 ingredient.
Just wondering if you’ve ever tried these by dipping the chilled cherries wrapped in the fondant in Magic Shell, then rechilling? We’ve done this with strawberries to save the chance of over heating the chocolate and not having to deal with adding what is basically wax.
Heck, I live in SW Florida…..heat & humidity, so I usually have to refrigerate any store bought chocolate cherries anyway. The only chocolate that doesn’t melt if left sitting out on the counter is what hasn’t been mixed with anything yet!
what can I use in place of almond extract we’re allergic to it?
It’s only there for flavor so either omit it or replace it with another flavor…maybe vanilla although that will add a brown color. Try clear vanilla or just don’t add any flavoring. FYI, maraschino cherries are flavored with almond.
This is a great way to make something that will eventually turn into a liquid, but not until after it is enclosed in chocolate . . . as a “rookie” myself – last Xmas I was looking for a way to get Baileys Irish Cream into my chocolates, but everything I tried failed as the liquid went to the top of the chocolate … Well, I mixed fondant with it and voila . . after just a few days, I had my own little chocolate bottles of Bailey’s to give to my friends!