Chocolate Covered Cherries

Though a Christmas treat for Dianne Towalski and her family, these chocolate covered cherries are a perfect choice for the Valentine season as well! If you make them this weekend, they should have just enough time to create a sweet, delectable cordial. CJK

Chocolate Covered Cherries

(Dianne Towalski)

Photo by Dianne Towalski

2 (10 oz.) jars maraschino cherries

8 oz. cream cheese 

2 lbs. confectioner’s sugar

2 lbs. chocolate pieces*

Dry cherries on paper towels for 30 to 45 minutes. (They should no longer be moist.)

Once the cherries are dry, melt the chocolate in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. Stir. Heat again for another 10 to 15 seconds and stir again. Repeat this process until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

To create the inner fondant layer, mix the cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar together, kneading by hand. Do not mix in all the sugar at once — keep adding to the mixture and kneading until it is no longer sticky. (Some batches may require all of the confectioner’s sugar; others may use less than two pounds and, occasionally, a batch may need a little more — the humidity in the kitchen dictates the amount needed.)

Form the fondant into balls and flatten them into small, thin circles. (It may take a little practice to discover the right size circle to fit around the cherries.) Wrap the fondant circles around each cherry and dip each one into the melted chocolate by holding the stem.

Cover and store the cherries for at least seven days to allow them to form the cordial.

*A note from Dianne: My mom, Vicky Williams, and I use E. Guittard chocolate wafers for this recipe. I like the dark chocolate best but others in our family prefer the milk chocolate so we always make half the recipe with each kind. I look forward to these special treats every year. My mom, my daughter Erin and sister-in-law Patty and I had a lot of fun making them together at our house last December.

A note from Carol: Dianne Towalski, The Visitor’s graphic designer, raves about these homemade chocolate covered cherries every year. I’m so glad she is sharing her family recipe. (I’ve only tasted those that have been commercially prepared. I think of my late grandfather, Ralph Prather, every time I eat one — they were his favorite candy!)

Dianne’s maternal grandmother, Marge Arnold, learned how to make these chocolate covered cherries from a friend about 30 years ago. For many years afterward at Christmas time she presented her children’s families with a box of homemade candy including the special cherries. Marge, now in her 80s and living in North Carolina, continues to carry on this holiday tradition with children and grandchildren living in that area.

At Christmastime last year, Marge Arnold, Dianne Towlaski’s grandmother,
shared the knack of wrapping homemade fondant around maraschino cherries
with her great-granddaughter, Sydney Bronack, prior to dipping them
in chocolate. (Photo courtesy of Dianne Towalski)