Two Weeks in the Making

So I'm a little behind with this post but better late then never right? I've dipped cherries in chocolate before but never have I made REAL chocolate covered cherries (like the Cordial ones)...until now! I made these for Christmas and gave them as gifts! They actually are easier then I thought to make, the only downfall is your suppose to let them set for 1 to 2 weeks before eating to ensure the center sugar dough turns to that yummy sugary liquid. It's kind of like torture having them taunt you for 2 weeks. But I ended up putting mine away in the pantry so they were out of sight out of mind ;) Of course I had to taste test one shortly after I made it before the center liquefied and even though they are still good, they are not the same and so much worth the wait!



Chocolate Covered Cherries

• 3 10-oz jars maraschino cherries with stems
• 3 Tbsp butter softened
• 3 Tbsp light colored corn syrup
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 pound chocolate melting candy, cut up in pieces

Directions:

Let cherries stand on paper towels for 2 hours to drain thoroughly. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.

sugar dough ball

In a medium bowl combine butter and corn syrup; stir in powdered sugar. Knead mixture until smooth, chill if too soft to handle. Wrap about 1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar mixture around each cherry. Place wrapped cherries, stem sides up on the prepared baking sheets. Chill for 1 to 4 hours or until firm.

In a heavy saucepan melt chocolate candy over low heat (I melted mine in a double broiler), stirring constantly until smooth. Line another baking sheet with waxed paper. Holding wrapped cherries by stems, dip one at a time into melted chocolate. If necessary, spoon chocolate over cherries to cover. Be sure to completely seal cherries in chocolate to prevent juice from leaking. Let excess chocolate drip off. Place chocolate covered cherries, stem side up, on the prepared baking sheet. let cherries stand until coating is set. To allow the powdered sugar mixture around the cherries to liquefy, store in a tightly covered container, in a cool, dry place for 1-2 weeks before serving.

The recipes says it makes 60 but I actually got 80 out of the batch! And after I gave the majority of them away I was sad I didn't keep more for myself because they are very comparable to the ones you buy at the store.

They taste just like the real thing! SUCCESS!!

Chocolate Cherry Biscotti's

My second cherry recipe and it is delicious!!! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, it had a ton a reviews. I used the candied cherries I made myself a few months ago. I made 2 batches of these biscotti's and instead of using white chocolate to drizzle over them, since I didn't have any, I used regular melting chocolate.

Chocolate Cherry Biscotti Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsps almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 cup chopped candied cherries
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate
  

Preheat over to 350F degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs on at a time, then stir in the almond extract. Combine the flour and backing powder; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in candied cherries and mini chocolate chips. With lightly floured hands, shape dough into two 10 inch long loaves. Place rolls 5 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet; flatten each to 3 inch width.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until set and lightly golden brown. Coll 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut loaves diagonally into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange slices cut side down on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 20 minutes, or until bottoms begin to brown. Turn and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until browned and crisp.

Cool completely. Melt white chocolate in the microwave, stirring 20 to 30 seconds until smooth. Drizzle cookies with melted white chocolate. Store in tightly covered containers. Keep for weeks!