Chocolate Covered Cherry Moonshine Food

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY SHOOTER

Steps:

• add all ingredients to a shaker filled with ice.
• shake and strain into shot glass.
• garnish with marischino cherry and SHOOT!

CHOCOLATE COVERED DRUNKEN CHERRIES

Steps:

• 1. *If you have moonshine cherries, pour the juice into another container and save for another use. Place cherries on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels. If the cherries have stems leave them on.
• 2. Use paper towels to dry off cherries as much as possible.
• 3. In large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream butter until light and fluffy. Add salt and vanilla. Gradually add some of the sugar and condensed milk, beating after each addition. Continue until all sugar and milk are incorporated. Chill well.
• 4. Place a small amount of sugar mixture in the palm of your hand and flatten into a small circle. Place a cherry in the center and shape into a ball covering the cherry with sugar mixture.
• 5. Place each cherry on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet. When desired number of cherries are wrapped put cookie sheet into the freezer while you melt the chocolate for dipping. (Freeze for at least 30 minutes.)
• 6. Melt chocolate according to package directions. The cold cherries will cause the chocolate to thicken so add some crisco or cooking wax, a little at a time, to thin the chocolate for easy coating.
• 7. Hold cherries by the stem, or using a fork, toothpick, or spoon and dip the cherries in chocolate and put back on waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens.
• 8. If you like a thick chocolate coating, dip cherries a second time after the first coat has hardened.
• 9. Make your own drunken cherries by pouring the cherry juice out of the jar and saving it for another use. Pour Everclear into jar and cover cherries. Let sit for 2-4 months. It can sit longer if desired. After using cherries reserve Everclear cherry juice for another use or add more cherries.

LIQUOR-INFUSED CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Pour cherries, with their juice, into a glass bowl. Cover cherries with rum. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerate for 1 week.
• Drain and dry rum-infused cherries.
• Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
• Mix confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup butter, milk, and maple syrup together in a bowl until smooth and pliable. Wrap each cherry with sugar mixture. Arrange on baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Combine chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate, 2 tablespoons butter, and paraffin wax in a saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring, until melted, about 5 minutes.
• Dip each wrapped cherry into the melted chocolate mixture using a toothpick. Return to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cherries. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until set, about 1 hour.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY MOONSHINE

Steps:

• In a large stockpot bring the cherry juice to a slight simmer. Add in the maraschino cherries with it's juices. Add both the 1/2 cup each of white and brown sugar. Stir for a few minutes until all the sugar is dissolved. Once dissolved, remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
• Once cooled to room temperature, pour in 2 1/2 cups of the Everclear into the mixture along with 1 full cup of the chocolate liqueur.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare a 13x9-inch baking pan by lightly spraying.
• Place cake mix, cherry pie filling, eggs and almond extract in a large mixing bowl.
• Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Scape down the bowl several times to incorporate all the mix.
• Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.
• Place in oven.
• Cake is ready when a toothpick comes out clean and it starts to pull away from the sides.
• Cool on wire rack
• For the glaze, when the cake is removed from the oven, place sugar, butter and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil.
• Boil, while stirring, for 1 minute.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips. When the chips have melted and the glaze is smooth, pour it over the warm cake.
• Cool the cake for 20 minutes more before cutting it into squares and serving.

DARK CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Lightly butter a 9 inch springform pan.
• Pour graham cracker crumbs into bottom of pan. Drizzle with melted butter and press to form a thin crust.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• For Filling: Melt chocolate in a double boiler until smooth. Remove from heat, and bring to room temperature. Consistency should be pourable.
• Meanwhile, whip cream cheese until light and fluffy.
• Add sugar, and blend at medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
• Blend in eggs, one at a time. Beat until fluffy.
• Add vanilla extract, and whip to combine.
• Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently as you are adding ingredients, to ensure that everything is well incorporated.
• Gently stir in the melted chocolate, just until combined.
• Carefully stir in the dried cherries.
• Pour filling into room temperature crust.
• Wrap bottom of springform pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, and place in a large roasting pan. Set on center oven rack. Carefully fill roasting pan with boiling water, about 1 inch up the side of the springform pan.
• Bake 1 1/2 hours at 325 degrees, or until center is just set.
• Remove from oven, and allow to cool about 5 minutes.
• Run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake. Do not remove the springform pan.
• Cover, and chill overnight.
• Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH MOONSHINE CHERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine flour and cocoa powder in a bowl. Drain cherries, reserving 4 teaspoons juice. Halve any large cherries.
• Beat butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Press down in the center of each ball with your thumb and place a cherry or cherry half in the center of each cookie.
• Combine chocolate pieces and condensed milk for frosting in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; heat until chocolate melts. Stir in reserved cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon frosting over each cookie, spreading to cover the cherry.
• Bake in batches in the preheated oven until edges are firm, about 10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets for 1 minute before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.