Chocolate Cordial Cherries

Homemade chocolate-covered cherries like Cella's, Queen Anne's, and Brach's are an iconic holiday treat.

Here’s some hints for making these cherries:

1. Drain the cherry juice, making sure you reserve 1/4 a cup of juice for the sugar mixture. Then place the drained cherries on an absorbent paper towel so the juice gets soaked up. You’ll want your cherries dry before you cover them in sugar.

2. When forming your mixture around the cherry.
Roll a 1-inch ball of sugar mixture. If the ball is too sticky, roll it lightly in the powdered sugar, then flatten the ball between the palms of your hands. Take a cherry that has been drained and dried and place it in the center of the disc. Wrap the sugar mixture around the cherry mixture and roll it into a ball. 

3. Remember to KEEP the cherry stem attached if possible for dipping convenience.

Best if made a month in advance for a luscious, syrupy cherry liquid fill.

Note: Do  not freeze chocolate covered cherries because they expand and break open during freezing.

Ingredients ::

• Maraschino Cherries-2 small jars
• 1 stick butter
• 6 Tbsp corn syrup
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp. Vanilla
• 3 lbs powdered sugar
• 12 oz melting chocolate bark

Directions :: 

Mix all ingredients except the cherries and chocolate, into a soft dough

Wrap each cherry in a ball of dough

Freeze cherries for 1 hour

Dip sugar dough wrapped cherries into melted chocolate

Allow cherries to cool without touching on parchment paper

Store cherries at least 2 weeks for sugar to liquify with the cherry juice inside.

Also see this recipe for Chocolate Cherry Cordials -with alcohol for a boozy type Cordial Cherry from SeriousEats.