Homemade chocolates truly are the way to impress that certain sweet tooth in your life.
These are so good. I have to make 2 dozen for my grandmother every Christmas and she refuses to share them. She actually hides them and pulls them out one at a time!
Cherry Cordials
Serves: 50
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
50 maraschino cherries, stems on, drained
Confectioners’ sugar
2 cups fondant (storebought is fine)
1/4 teaspoon invertase (available at candy-making supply stores or online)
Water or brandy, for thinning fondant, as needed
1 pound (1½ cups) dark chocolate, melted, tempered, or dark compound coating, melted
Instructions
- Dry the cherries thoroughly on a towel. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and sprinkle it lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
- Heat the fondant over a water bath to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the fondant from the heat and add the invertase. Stir in well.
- Holding them by the stems, dip the cherries one at a time in the fondant nearly to the top of the cherry. If the fondant becomes too thick to dip the cherries, thin it using the water or brandy.
- Place each cherry on the prepared sheet pan. Make sure the cherries are upright when you put them down. Allow the cherries to cool until the fondant hardens, about 10 minutes.
- Holding the cooled, fondant-coated cherries by the stem, dip them one at a time in the tempered chocolate all the way up to the stem to completely enrobe them in chocolate. Place the chocolate-dipped cherries on clean parchment. When the chocolate has set, transfer the cherries to a sealed container.
Note: Leave the cherries at room temperature in the sealed container for 10 days to allow the fondant time to dissolve from the action of the enzyme. Don’t worry if you don’t have time for this step: they’re delicious anyway.
Variation: Cherry cordials can also be made using maraschino cherries without the stems. Dip the cherries in the heated fondant and invertase using a dipping fork. Once the fondant sets, roll them in tempered chocolate. Roll the cherries this way three times, and after the third coat, roll them in a pan of sifted confectioners’ sugar.
Tip: If the fondant will not stick to the cherries, dry them more thoroughly. Keep the fondant hot while dipping, but do not exceed 160 degrees once the invertase has been added. If the fondant gets too thick to dip the cherries, thin it with water or brandy.
Recipe for Ny daily news
