Chocolate Covered Cherries

After listening to my husband drop hints for thirteen years about how much he enjoyed homemade chocolate covered cherries when he was a boy, I finally caved and made some for him this holiday season. Maraschino cherries in all of their red #40 glory are enrobed with confectioners sugar, butter, and a little cherry juice then dipped in melted, semi-sweet chocolate and allowed to harden. The retro pink filling will ripen into a cream consistency after about a week...if you can wait that long to eat them.

1—16 oz. jar maraschino cherries, drained and patted dry (reserving 1/4 c. juice)
4 c. powdered sugar
4 tbsp. butter softened
18 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (Tip: store-brand’s have more paraffin in their chocolate and make for smoother dipping.)
crisco or coconut oil for thinning chocolate as needed

• Drain the cherries, reserving 1/4 c. juice. Set them aside on a paper towel-lined plate to dry while you prepare the sugar filling.
• In a large bowl, stir together 3 c. powdered sugar, butter, and 1/4 c. cherry juice; the mixture will be stiff. Knead in the last cup of powdered sugar with your hands, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture turns into a uniform dough. Let rest, covered in the refrigerator 20 min.
• Roll all of the filling into 1 in. balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Working with one ball at a time, flatten and fold the filling over a dry maraschino cherry to completely cover it, then roll into a smooth ball again. Place back on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cherries.
• Freeze the cherries for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. Skewer filling covered cherry gently with a toothpick, dip it in the melted chocolate and allow the excess to drip off before placing back on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. If the consistency of the melted chocolate is too thick, stir in 1-2 tbsp. crisco or coconut oil. Repeat with the remaining cherries.
• Allow the chocolate to harden before storing cherries in an airtight container. Do NOT refrigerate to speed up hardening or the chocolate will develop a sticky condensation marring the smooth surface.