Chocolate Covered Cherries Recipes

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.

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.

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.

Steps:

• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper. Pat cherries dry with paper towels.
• Melt chocolates separately in stainless steel bowl set over pan of simmering water, stirring until smooth.
• Holding stem of cherry, dip cherry into melted chocolate to coat. You can coat half of cherry in white chocolate and half in semisweet chocolate, if desired. Transfer chocolate-dipped cherry to prepared cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining cherries and melted chocolate.
• Refrigerate for about 40 minutes, or until set.

Steps:

• Place the dried cherries in a coating pan attached to a stand mixer. Spin at low speed. Using a ladle, add the chocolate to the spinning cherries. Add one ladleful at a time until the cherries are coated to the desired thickness. (Use a 50/50 ratio (50 percent chocolate, 50 percent weight of the cherries.) If a thicker coat is desired, use more chocolate and vice versa.
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.

Steps:

• Finely chop 1/2 pound dark chocolate. Combine three-quarters of the chocolate and 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until the chocolate is melted; stir in the remaining chocolate until smooth. Dip 1 pound fresh cherries in the chocolate by the stems and set on parchment paper. Let harden at room temperature.

Steps:

• Using a double boiler, heat the chocolate until melted. Stir in milk, using enough to make the chocolate smooth.
• Holding the cherries by their stems, dip them one by one into the chocolate mixture.
• Place the coated cherries on wax paper until the chocolate has dried.

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate over hot water in a double boiler. Remove from heat. Holding the cherries by their stems, dip each into the melted chocolate, twirling to coat. Place on a tray covered with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter, milk and extract; mix well.
• Knead into a large ball.
• Roll into 1-inch balls and flatten each into a 2-inch circle.
• Wrap around cherries and lightly roll in hands.
• Place with stems up on waxed paper-lined baking sheet.
• Cover loosely and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
• Melt the chocolate chips and shortening in a double boiler or microwave-safe bowl.
• Holding on to stem, dip cherries into chocolate; set on waxed paper to harden.
• Store in a covered container.
• Refrigerate 1-2 weeks before serving.
• Yield: about 3 dozen.

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 chocolate 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.

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.

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a stand up mixer and mix until smooth. You will need to knock it down every so often. If you don't have a mixer, use your hands. This is a very stiff dough.
• Let stand 1 hour. Pinch of small amounts, flatten slightly and press around each cherry, sealing well. Place on waxed paper to dry. Let stand about 30 minutes, turn cherries over and dry another 30 minutes.
• Combine chocolate and paraffin in double boiler until melted and smooth. Dip balls into chocolate mixture. Place on waxed paper to harden.
• Keep cherries in a cool, dry place for 2 weeks before serving. Do not store in the refrigerator as this will discolor the chocolate coating.

Steps:

• Drain cherries well; let stand on paper toweling.
• Make fondant: Combine butter or margarine, corn syrup and salt; stir in powdered sugar.
• Knead until smooth.
• Chill if too soft.
• Shape a teaspoon of the fondant around each cherry.
• Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet; chill.
• In small heavy saucepan or deep bowl over pan of hot water, melt chocolate coating, stirring constantly.
• Holding onto stems, dip fondant-covered cherries, one at a time, into melted chocolate.
• Spoon mixture over cherries to coat.
• Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet.
• Place in refrigerator to harden.
• Store in covered container in cool place.
• Let ripen a week or two and fondant will begin to liquefy.
• Makes 60 chocolate-covered cherries.