Chocolate Covered Cherry Recipes

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES II

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together confectioner's sugar, margarine, milk and almond extract.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead the mixture into a large ball. Roll into 1 inch balls. Flatten the balls into 2 inch circles. Leaving the stems sticking out, wrap the cherries in the circles by lightly rolling in hands. Place the wrapped cherries on wax paper and chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt chocolate chips and shortening. Holding by the stem, dip the chilled cherries into the chocolate chip mixture. Chill until serving.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Drain cherries and set on paper towels to dry.
• In a medium bowl, combine butter and corn syrup until smooth. Stir in confectioners' sugar and knead to form a dough. Chill to stiffen if necessary. Wrap each cherry in about 1 teaspoon of dough. Chill until firm.
• Melt confectioners' coating in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Dip each cherry in by its stem, and place on waxed paper lined sheets. Chill until completely set. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Best after 1 or 2 weeks.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl until evenly combined; set aside. Break the almond paste into small pieces in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and beat on low speed until the paste forms small crumbles in the sugar, about 2 minutes. Add half the butter and continue beating until the mixture starts forming large clumps and wiping the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining butter, increase the speed to medium high and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, egg and kirsch if using and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low until the dough just comes together.
• Scoop 30 tablespoon-size portions of dough, roll into balls and divide between the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly apart. Press a cherry in the center of each dough ball, then refrigerate the cookies on the baking sheets for 30 minutes.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and set at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the glaze: Combine the sugar, 2 tablespoons of the reserved cherry syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the chocolate chips and stir slowly until smooth.
• Using a teaspoon, spoon the chocolate glaze over the cherry of each cookie, letting it drip down the sides. Allow the glaze to set before serving, about 10 minutes. Store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight containers for up to 5 days.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY MARTINI

Steps:

• Fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Pour in chocolate and cherry vodkas, grenadine, creme de cacao, half-and-half, and chocolate syrup. Cover and shake until the outside of the shaker has frosted. Strain into a chilled martini glass, garnish with maraschino cherry and chocolate kiss, and serve.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY THUMBPRINTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening, brown sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture. Refrigerate, covered, until easy to handle, 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. Shape dough into 1-1/4-in. balls. In a shallow bowl, whisk egg white until foamy. Place almonds in a separate shallow bowl. Dip balls in egg white; roll in almonds., Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press a deep indentation in center of each with your thumb. Bake until edges are light brown, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks., In a small bowl, beat confectioners' sugar, cherry juice, butter and milk until smooth. Fill each cookie with 1/4 tsp. filling; top with 1 cherry. Drizzle with candy coating. Let stand until set.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRIES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the sugar, butter, milk and extract. Knead until smooth and pliable. Shape into 1-in. balls and flatten each into a 2-in. circle. , Wrap one circle around each cherry and lightly roll in hands. Place with stems up on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Cover loosely and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. , In a microwave, melt chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Holding on to the stems, dip cherries into chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper until set. Store in a covered container. Refrigerate 1-2 weeks before serving.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED BING CHERRIES

Steps:

• Pour the sugar into a shallow dish. Drop two drops of vanilla at a time into the dish in 24 separate places to form lumps of vanilla sugar. Set aside to allow the lumps to harden.
• Pit the cherries carefully from the bottom. I use a small curved dental tool. Make sure the stem stays intact.
• When the lumps of sugar have hardened, insert them into the cherries where the pits were; set aside. Melt chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth.
• Hold cherries by the stem and dip into the chocolate leaving the very top uncovered. Set on waxed paper to dry. Refrigerate overnight to allow the sugar lumps to dissolve.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Line 12 regular-size (2 1/2-in. diameter) muffin cups with paper or foil liners.
• Whisk flour and cocoa powder in a small bowl until blended; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a mixer on high speed 2 minutes or until well blended.
• Add egg and vanilla; beat 2 minutes or until fluffy.
• Reduce mixer speed to low; beat in milk (batter will look curdled), then the flour mixture just until blended.
• Spoon evenly into lined muffin cups Place a square of chocolate in center of each cupcake.
• Top with a cherry and another square of chocolate.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes until a pick inserted off center comes out clean.
• Cool in pan on a wire rack 5 minutes before removing from pan to rack to cool com-pletely (cupcakes will sink in center).
• Frosting: Beat cream cheese, but-ter and cherry juice in a medium bowl with mixer on high speed until blend-ed and smooth.
• Reduce speed to low; beat in confectioners' sugar.
• Refriger-ate 15 minutes or until firm enough to spread.
• Frost cupcakes.
• To garnish: Top each cupcake with 1 or 2 cherries.
• Melt chocolate bar and scrape into a ziptop bag.
• Cut a tip off a corner of bag; drizzle chocolate over half or all the cupcakes.
• Cover and refrigerate until serving or up to 1 day.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY PIE

Steps:

• Microwave the semi-sweet baking chips with 1/2 cup whipping cream until the chocolate begins to melt (about 1 minute) remove and whisk in 1/4 cup butter until smooth; let cool, whisking occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture reaches a spreading consistency.
• Spoon half of the mixture over the ready-made pie crust.
• Cover and chill remaining chocolate mixture.
• Spoon the cherry pie filling evenly over the chocolate mixture in the pie crust; place the crust on a baking sheet.
• In a bowl beat softened cream cheese with powdered sugar, egg and almond extract at medium speed using an electric mixer until smooth.
• Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cherry filling (the pie will be very full but shouldn't overflow when baked, but place the pie on a baking sheet anyway!).
• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set; remove from oven and cool to about room temperature.
• Refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours.
• This next step with the cherries is optional, you can just drizzle the top of the cooled pie with melted chocolate and then dollop with whipped cream.
• Place 16 maraschino cherries with the stems on paper towels; pat them dry.
• Microwave the reserved chocolate mixture at MEDIUM for about 1 minute or until spreading consistency, stir until smooth.
• Dip the cherries into the warmed chocolate mixture, then place on a baking sheet.
• Chill the cherries for about 20 minutes (or longer).
• Spread any remaining chocolate over the pie, then spoon 8 dollops of whipped cream (or Cool Whip topping) around the outer edges of the pie.
• Place 2 chocolate-covered cherries on top of each dollop.
• Delicious!