I usually have a My World Wednesday post each week. But I’m going to bump that to tomorrow. Instead today I’ll continue with the Christmas Tea.
Chocolate-covered cherries aren’t difficult to make but here are a few hints:
Make sure the cherries are really dry; any wetness will cause the fondant to slide off.
Don’t skimp on the piece of fondant you use to cover the cherry. Form it into a little rectangle in your hand before trying to put it over the cherry.
Use the best candy coating you can find. Ghirardelli, Mercken’s and Baker’s all make chocolate coating.
Don’t allow even one drop of water to get into your melting chocolate or it will seize. The only remedy for seized chocolate is to throw it out. It isn’t hard to keep the water away, only something you need to be aware of.
Cover the cherry completely with chocolate. If there is even a tiny uncovered hole, the fondant will leak and make a mess.
1 16-ounce jar maraschino cherries with stems
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups powdered sugar
10 ounces dark chocolate candy coating
2 ounces baking chocolate or semisweet choco chips
Leaving stems intact, rinse and dry the cherries by patting with a paper towel. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the butter, corn syrup and salt. Gradually add the powdered sugar, stirring until smooth. Knead by hand until the fondant is smooth and creamy. Pinch off a small amount and shape around each cherry. Place on the baking sheet. Cover and chill 1 hour or until firm.
Cover another baking sheet with waxed paper.
Melt the candy coating and chocolate together, stirring until smooth. Hold each cherry by the stem and dip into the melted chocolate until coated. Allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place on the lined baking sheet. Let stand until the chocolate is firm. Store in an airtight container. The cherries will keep up to a week in the fridge.
