Chocolate Cherry Mice Food

CHOCOLATE CHERRY MICE

Steps:

• In the microwave or over the stove, melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth.
• Holding a cherry by its stem, dip it into the chocolate. Place on a baking sheet covered with wax paper.
• Press a chocolate kiss to the front of the cherry. The wet chocolate will hold them together. Wedge peanut halves between the cherry and chocolate kiss to make the ears.
• Add a couple dots of white frosting for eyes, then put a little melted chocolate on a red-hot and place on the end of the kiss to make the nose.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY MICE

Steps:

• Before starting, you may wish to take a look at the step-by-step instructions with photos. SEE LINK IN DESCRIPTION ABOVE.
• Line a cookie sheet with waxed or parchment paper.
• Rinse the maraschino cherries, drain thoroughly, and let dry on paper towels, turning often.
• The cherries must be completely dry or the chocolate will seize and get crumbly.
• Gently melt chocolate, butter, and paraffin in a double boiler until smooth, stirring often to prevent burning.
• Once melted, turn off heat, but leave in the double-boiler on the burner.
• Dip dry cherries in melted chocolate to completely cover up to the stem.
• Place on lined cookie sheet.
• Immediately press on chocolate chip, flat side to the front of the dipped cherry, to form a head.
• While chocolate is still warm, wedge two sliced almonds between chocolate chip and cherry to form ears. Let cool.
• Use a toothpick to dab beady red eyes on either side of the chocolate chip with the red gel icing.
• Refrigerate to firmly set chocolate.
• Notes:.
• If fresh sweet cherries are in season, by all means use them.
• Paraffin is sold in the canning supplies section, usually under the brand Gulf Wax.
• You can use the giant chocolate bars for the semisweet chocolate, or semisweet baking squares, or chocolate chips.
• If your cherries are exceptionally large, you may wish to use chocolate kisses for the heads.

CHERRY MICE

Steps:

• In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Holding each cherry by the stem, dip into chocolate mixture. Place on a sheet of waxed paper; let stand until set., Reheat remaining chocolate; dip cherries again, then press onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss. For ears, place almond slices between cherry and kiss. Refrigerate until set.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY MICE

Steps:

• 1. **Note** I didn't put amounts in my ingredients, as the amounts all vary based on how many you'd like to make -- I only listed amounts for the chocolate chips and shortening, so the chocolate/shortening ratio would be correct. Feel free to alter it based on amount being made. Also, if you would like the "nose" tinted pink, you can add a bit of food coloring into the white chocolate after applying all of the "eyes"
• 2. Drain cherries WELL, and pat dry with a paper towel. Unwrap your Hersheys kisses.
• 3. In a small saucepan, melt together chocolate chips and shortening over low to medium/low heat, stirring frequently.
• 4. Dip your cherry into the melted chocolate and place on its side onto a tray lined with wax paper. Immediately stick a Hershey's kiss to the wet chocolate to act as the "head". Slide 2 sliced almonds in between the kiss and the cherry to act as "ears". Continue until all mice are assembled. Place in fridge to firm up.
• 5. When mice are firm, melt white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. You will use this or the eyes and the nose. Either use a toothpick to apply the white chocolate, or pour the melted chocolate into a ziploc bag with a very small corner clipped and pipe onto the mice.
• 6. If you're using black gel icing, place the mice in the fridge to firm up the white chocolate. When the white chocolate is firm, use the black gel icing to make pupils on the white eyes (using a toothpick works well). If you're using black sprinkles, carefully stick one to the wet white chocolate icing, and place in the fridge.

CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS MICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Carefully twist Oreo cookies apart. Set aside the ones with the cream filling on them; save plain halves for another use. (You could make crumbs for pie crust).
• In microwave, melt chocolate chip, paraffin and butter; stir until smooth.
• Holding cherry by stem, dip in melted chocolate, then press onto the bottom of a chocolate kiss.
• Place cherry and kiss onto the cream filling of the cookie. Let stem extend over the edge.
• Make ears for your mouse by placing sliced almonds between the cherry and the kiss (before the chocolate sets).
• Place in refrigerator until chocolate sets.
• With green decorative gel, pipe holly leaves on white cream of cookie by the mouse.
• Pipe holly berries between the leaves with the red gel.
• Pipe eyes on each chocolate kiss.
• Store in airtight container at room temperature.
• TIPS:.
• I used Almond Bark instead of the chocolate chips and eliminated the need for shortening.
• Maraschino cherries need to have stems and be well-drained.
• Keep chocolate hot by putting in a bowl over a steaming pan of water.
• I used a teapot, took the lid off and placed my bowl over it after melting chocolate in microwave.
• You can use a clean eyebrow tweezer or something else to grasp the cherries by the stems to dunk in chocolate.
• Make extras because everyone at your party will want one to take home to show around and to use as a pattern to make their own!

CHOCOLATE CHRISTMAS MICE (OR ANYTIME MICE)

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler and dip a cherriy into the chocolate, holding by the stem ("tail").
• Set cherry on its side on waxed paper. This is the mouse's body and tail.
• While chocolate it still gooey, "glue" on a hershey's kiss to the mouse's body, with the bottom of the kiss touching the cherry and the pointy part pointing out, the opposite direction that the tail is pointing.
• Add sliced almonds in the seam for ears.
• Decorate with icing or red hots for eyes and nose.
• Repeat with the rest of the cherries, etc.