Chocolate-Covered Cherries
Maraschino cherries wrapped in soft vanilla fondant and dipped in dark chocolate, with the stem left on. The fondant softens into a syrup around the fruit.
Making Chocolate-Covered Cherries Ahead
Keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 2 weeks. They are best after a week. Do not freeze.
How to Make Chocolate-Covered Cherries
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Drain the cherries on kitchen paper, then pat them very dry with more paper. Line a tray with baking parchment.
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Mix the icing sugar, butter, golden syrup, vanilla and salt in a bowl, adding the cherry syrup a few drops at a time until the mixture forms a smooth, pliable dough that is not sticky or crumbly.
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Take about 10 g of the dough, flatten it in your palm and wrap it around a cherry, covering it completely and leaving the stem free. Roll gently to smooth it and set it on the tray.
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Refrigerate the wrapped cherries for 1 hour, until firm.
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Melt the chocolate with the coconut oil in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Hold each cherry by its stem, dip it into the chocolate to cover the fondant completely, and seal the chocolate around the base of the stem.
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Set the cherries on the parchment and let the chocolate set until firm. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.
A Few Pointers
- Dry the cherries thoroughly. Wet cherries make the fondant slippery, and it slides off during dipping.
- Cover every part of the cherry with fondant, and every part of the fondant with chocolate. A gap in either means the syrup leaks out.
- Wait about a week before you eat them. The fondant needs the time to soften into a liquid syrup around the cherry.
Behind the Recipe
Chocolate-covered cherries, also called cherry cordials, are a Christmas and Valentine box chocolate that many people think is too difficult to make at home, and it is not. A single maraschino cherry is wrapped in a layer of soft fondant, made from icing sugar, butter and syrup, and then dipped in melted chocolate. The stem stays on as a handle. The magic happens after they are made. Over a few days, the sugar in the fondant draws moisture from the cherry, and the coating softens and turns into a sweet, thick syrup that surrounds the fruit inside the chocolate shell, which is what gives a cordial cherry its liquid centre. The confectionery trade uses an enzyme called invertase to do the same thing more reliably, but the home method works well if you give the sweets time. They are at their best after about a week in a cool place. The cherries must be very dry before they are wrapped, or the moisture makes the fondant slide off, and the fondant must be pliable, not sticky, or crumbly. Cover the cherry entirely, with no gaps, and seal the chocolate against the stem, or the syrup will leak out. Dark chocolate keeps the sweetness in check, and coconut oil gives the coating a shine. They make an unusual and much-loved present.
Serving Ideas
Hot coffee · Champagne · Vanilla ice cream
Questions About Chocolate-Covered Cherries
How long does Chocolate-Covered Cherries take to make?
About 50 minutes of hands-on work — 45 minutes of preparation and 5 minutes of cooking — plus 1 hour of Chilling, so allow 1 hour 50 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 24.
What are the key tips for making Chocolate-Covered Cherries?
Dry the cherries thoroughly. Wet cherries make the fondant slippery, and it slides off during dipping. Cover every part of the cherry with fondant, and every part of the fondant with chocolate. A gap in either means the syrup leaks out. Wait about a week before you eat them. The fondant needs the time to soften into a liquid syrup around the cherry.
What should I serve with Chocolate-Covered Cherries?
Hot coffee; Champagne; Vanilla ice cream.
Can Chocolate-Covered Cherries be made ahead or frozen?
Keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 2 weeks. They are best after a week. Do not freeze.
Is Chocolate-Covered Cherries suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free and low-carb. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Chocolate-Covered Cherries?
About 125 kcal per serving, with 1 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate and 5 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Chocolate-Covered Cherries Nutrition Facts
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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