Chocolate Covered Cherry Strudel Recipes

Steps:

• Drain cherries, reserving 1/3 cup juice. In a large saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, cranberries and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Combine cornstarch and reserved juice and add to the pan. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in walnuts. , Unfold one pastry sheet and cut in half. Mound half of the cherry mixture on one pastry half to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with remaining pastry half; pinch edges to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. , Place on a greased foil-lined baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits into tops of strudels; brush with egg. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

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:

• Microwave: To prepare filling, combine first liquor, water and sugar in a medium bowl. Microwave at High 1 1/2 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring after 45 seconds. Stir in dried cherries and ginger, cover with plastic wrap and microwave an additional 3 minutes on HIGH. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow fruit to absorb the liquid. Spoon fruit mixture into bowl, cover and cool completely.
• Stovetop: In a small saucepan, combine liquor, water and sugar and heat until sugar crystals dissolve. Add dried cherries and ginger to the pan and cook until cherries absorb most of the liquid and plump (approximately 5-10 minutes with low heat). Spoon fruit mixture into bowl, cover and cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 350°F
• To assemble the strudel, 1/4 cup chips into the cherries.
• Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface, covering remaining dough to keep from drying. Lightly coat with butter-flavored cooking spray. Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time, repeat this process with the 7 remaining phyllo sheets with cooking spray, placing one on top of the other. Place a sheet of plastic wrap or waxed paper over phyllo, pressing gently to seal sheets together; discard plastic wrap.
• Spoon filling along 1 long edge of phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold over the short edges of phyllo to cover 2 inches of apricot mixture on each end. Starting at long edge with 2-inch border, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Do not roll tightly, or the strudel may split.
• Place strudel, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Score 7 diagonal slits into top of strudel using a sharp knife. Lightly spray strudel with cooking spray.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
• Place 1/4 cup chips in a small heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag, and seal. Submerge bag in very hot water until chips melt. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag; drizzle chocolate over the baked strudel.

Steps:

• Mix first four ingrediants in a mixer to blend. Dough will be very sticky. Divide into 4 equal sized balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. When ready to make strudel remove dough from freezer and thaw in refrigerator. One ball per strudel that you'd like to make. Roll thawed dough ball out on floured pastry cloth or towel using well floured rolling pin. Roll into a cirle as thin as you can get it. This dough is very sticky and you will end up incorporating alot of flour into it to keep it from sticking to your surface, hands, and rolling pin. Now it's time to fill it: at end closest to you, drop teaspoons of preserves in a line crosswise about 3-4 inches from the end. Then sprinkle with chocolate chips and dried cherries. The amount of filling you use is up to you depending on if you want the roll to be thick or thin. Fold end of dough closet to you over filling. Turn ends over an inch or so to help keep filling inside roll. Using pastry cloth roll the dough into a log. Use pasty cloth to place on baking sheet. If you are using a freezable filling such as apples, you can freeze the strudel at this point for future use. They then can be baked straight from the freezer and are great to have on hand for unexpected company or a quick dessert. If you like you can finish this with an egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 350 dgrees until strudel is golden brown. Allow to cool, slice, and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), blend the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add the farmer's cheese and continue to blend. Add the egg and mix. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar and the vanilla. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (or just set aside in a bowl).
• Transfer 1 sheet of phyllo to the prepared pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the phyllo with butter. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/3 of the ground walnuts. Repeat with the 2 remaining sheets of phyllo--reserving the some melted butter and nuts for the top, once rolled.
• Turn the sheet pan so that the phyllo is horizontal to your body. Two inches in from the left-hand edge of the phyllo, working from top to bottom and leaving 2 inches bare at the top and bottom, pipe or spoon a 3/4 inch thick line of cream cheese mixture.
• Alongside the cream cheese, pour the cherry pie filling. Turn the sheet pan a quarter turn and, starting at the edge the fillings are near, roll up the pastry to encase the filling. Keep rolling to form a log. Move the log to the center of the sheet pan and tuck the ends under to keep the filling from oozing out. Brush the surface with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar and nuts.
• Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes on the pan. Using a serrated knife, cut carefully into sections and serve warm.

Steps:

• Bring cherries (with any juices), 3/4 cup sugar, and cornstarch to a boil in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, then simmer 2 minutes. Transfer filling to a bowl and cool completely.
• While cherry filling cools, arrange 3 phyllo sheets in 1 layer on a work surface and let dry 15 minutes. Keeping 12 remaining sheets stacked, halve crosswise, then stack halves. Cover stack with a piece of plastic wrap and a dampened kitchen towel. Finely crumble 3 dried phyllo sheets into a bowl.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Arrange 1 piece of phyllo on work surface with a short side nearest you (keep remaining sheets covered) and brush with some butter. Top with 3 more phyllo pieces, brushing each with butter.
• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons crumbled phyllo over lower third of buttered phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border along bottom and sides, then top with a rounded 1/3 cup filling. Fold bottom edge of phyllo up over filling and fold in sides to enclose filling completely, then roll up phyllo to form a strudel, about 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. Transfer, seam side down, to a buttered baking sheet. Brush top with some butter, then sprinkle lightly with 1/4 teaspoon sugar. Cut 2 (1-inch) vents diagonally across top of strudel, about 1 1/2 inches apart, with a paring knife. Make 5 more strudels in same manner.
• Bake strudels in middle of oven until golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool 30 minutes.
• We used IFQ (Individually Quick Frozen) cherries from Friske Orchards (231-599-2604), in Charlevoix, Michigan.

Steps:

• Using on/off turns, blend first 3 ingredients in processor until coarse meal forms. Add sour cream and process just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten each dough piece into thin rectangle. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm enough to roll, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out 1 dough piece on lightly floured surface to 14x12-inch rectangle. Leaving 1-inch plain border at 1 long side, spread with 3/4 cup cherry jam, then sprinkle with 1 cup almonds, 1/2 cup dried cherries and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Starting opposite plain end, roll up dough jelly-roll style, enclosing filling. Push in ends to compress log to 12-inch length; seal ends. Transfer strudel, seam side down, to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling, spacing strudels evenly apart on baking sheet.
• Bake strudels until golden, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Slide spatula under hot strudels to loosen from sheet. Cool completely on sheet. Cut strudels crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick bars. (Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days.)