Chocolate Covered Cherry Food

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES

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.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES

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.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES

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.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRIES

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.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl until evenly combined; set aside. Break the almond paste into small pieces in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and beat on low speed until the paste forms small crumbles in the sugar, about 2 minutes. Add half the butter and continue beating until the mixture starts forming large clumps and wiping the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining butter, increase the speed to medium high and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, egg and kirsch if using and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low until the dough just comes together.
• Scoop 30 tablespoon-size portions of dough, roll into balls and divide between the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly apart. Press a cherry in the center of each dough ball, then refrigerate the cookies on the baking sheets for 30 minutes.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and set at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the glaze: Combine the sugar, 2 tablespoons of the reserved cherry syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the chocolate chips and stir slowly until smooth.
• Using a teaspoon, spoon the chocolate glaze over the cherry of each cookie, letting it drip down the sides. Allow the glaze to set before serving, about 10 minutes. Store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight containers for up to 5 days.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Set the pan aside.
• Place the 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. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed. The batter should look thick and well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.
• Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack while you prepare the glaze.
• For the glaze, place the sugar, butter, and milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, 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 so it covers the entire surface. The glaze will be thin but will firm up. Cool the cake for 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
• Store this cake, covered in aluminum foil, at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze the cake, wrapped in foil, for up to 6months. Thaw the cake overnight on the counter before serving.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY COOKIES

Steps:

• Drain cherries, researving 3 t juice. Cut cherries in 1/2.
• Beat butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, vanilla and 2 t cherry juice. Beat until blended. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture.
• Shape dough into 1 inch balls on ungreased cookie sheet. Make a thumb imprint in the center of each cookie. Place a cherry half in the indent.
• In saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips and condensed milk. Add 1 t cherry juice to melted chocolate. Cool slightly.
• Spoon 1 t melted chocolate over cherry half.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Line baking sheet with waxed paper. Place chocolate in top of double boiler set over barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of pan to touch water); stir until melted and smooth. Remove chocolate from over water. Holding cherry stem, dip 1 cherry halfway into chocolate. Place cherry, chocolate side down, on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining cherries and chocolate. Chill until chocolate is firm, at least 15 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

CHOCOLATE DIPPED BING CHERRIES

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.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRY COFFEE

Steps:

• Brew your favorite coffee and pour yourself a cup.
• Put a chocolate covered cherry candy into the cup.
• stir gently and add the Splenda or sugar.
• Stir to dissolve.
• Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Place rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350degrees.
• Lightly mist a 13x9 inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray.
• Set pan aside.
• Place all ingredients into large mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer on low for 1 minute.
• Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more.
• The batter should look thick and well blended.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
• Place the pan in the oven.
• Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool.
• Serve with a chocolate glaze or frosting.
• (That wasn't included in the recipe).

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY DELIGHTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in middle position.
• Melt butter and mix in sugar.
• Let mixture cool.
• Add eggs, mix thoroughly.
• Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, vanilla and cocoa, stirring after each addition.
• Add flour and mix well (dough will be stiff and a bit crumbly).
• Drain cherries, remove stems, reserve juice.
• Pat dough into walnut-sized balls.
• Place on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard sheet.
• Press down in center with thumb to make a deep indentation.
• Place one cherry in each indentation.
• In a saucepan, over simmering water (double boiler), combine the chocolate chips and condensed milk.
• Heat on low until the chips are melted.
• Add approximately 1/8 cup of reserved cherry juice and stir to a thick sauce.
• If sauce is too thick, carefully add a little more juice. Test with a teaspoon. If it doesn't glob off, it is too thick.
• Spoon the sauce over the center of each cookie, just enough to cover each cherry. Make sure it doesn't drip down the sides.
• Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.
• Let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes.
• Remove to rack to finish cooling.