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As far as favorite holidays are concerned, Valentine’s Day has never been at the top of my list. The cards, the candles, the pink carnations…it’s all just a bit much.
That said, Valentine’s Day does boast some of the absolute best seasonal candy. (Second only to Easter. Those Cadbury mini eggs really cannot be beat!) Between conversation hearts, truffles, and foil-wrapped chocolate roses, Valentine’s Day candy offers something for every sweet tooth.
Classic Chocolate Covered Cherries
Wrapped in sweet fondant and enrobed in chocolate, chocolate covered cherries (a.k.a. cherry cordials) are the quintessential Valentine’s Day treat. And although they might look intimidating, chocolate cherries are actually quite simple to make. Form a fondant dough with a few basic ingredients, wrap it around store-bought maraschino cherries, and dip in the chocolate of your choosing. The hardest part is tempering the chocolate…and waiting for the chocolates to mature for a week or two before diving in!
It’s important to start ASAP if planning to gift these for the upcoming holiday. Chocolate covered cherries taste best if allowed to rest for a minimum of one week (and ideally longer!) prior to serving. This resting time allows the fondant around the cherry to liquefy, creating the cherry cordial’s gooey signature center.
Some Notes on Tempering
In simplified terms, tempering describes the process of heating and cooling chocolate couverture to specific temperatures, producing chocolate with a signature shine and snap. There are numerous methods for tempering chocolate, including seeding, tabling, and direct tempering. Tempering requires time and patience; it can be complex and difficult to master.
There are numerous online chocolate tempering tutorials available, such as this one by Callebaut, and this one by Valhrona. It’s also worth checking to see if your chocolate manufacturer or supplier has a temperature guide available for their particular product.
If you really want to hone your tempering skills, I’d highly suggest enrolling in a course with Ecole Chocolat. Their Professional Chocolatier Program definitely provided me with a solid foundation for chocolatework. (I wrote a detailed post about my experience studying with Ecole Chocolat, which you can find here.)
A Tempering Alternative
If you aren’t familiar with tempering, you can use discs of coating chocolate for this recipe. Unlike couverture, coating chocolate (also known by a range of other names such as melting chocolate, melting wafers, confectionery coating, candy wafers, or dipping chocolate) is pre-tempered and will work if you want to enrobe your cherries without tempering chocolate.
Choosing Your Chocolate
I enrobed this batch of cherries in Callebaut milk chocolate. Dark chocolate (such as my go-to Callebaut 54.5% dark, or darker if you prefer) would also work nicely. I wouldn’t suggest using white chocolate, which is naturally quite sweet; the white chocolate plus sugary fondant will make for a cloyingly sweet candy.
Whichever chocolate you choose, be sure to opt for a good-quality chocolate couverture. This recipe will not work with chocolate chips, because they aren’t made for tempering.
More Valentine candy recipes you might enjoy:
Heart-Shaped Strawberry Marshmallows
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles
Sparkling Rosé Truffles
And if you make these, or any of my recipes, be sure to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
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Chocolate Cherry Cordials
- Total Time: 45-60 minutes (+ 1-2 weeks resting time)
- Yield: 25-30 cherry cordials 1x
Description
Maraschino cherries wrapped in sweet fondant and enrobed in chocolate make for the quintessential Valentine’s Day treat! Be sure to start early if making these for Valentine’s Day. These candies taste best if allowed to rest for a week or two prior to serving!
Ingredients
25–30 maraschino cherries, pitted and with stems removed
125 grams confectioner’s sugar (1 cup)
35 grams corn syrup (about 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon)
20 grams unsalted butter, softened (about 1.5 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, or to taste**
Good-quality milk or dark chocolate couverture, for enrobing
Instructions
Line a plate or tray with baking parchment. Set aside.
Drain the cherries and remove the stems, then set aside until ready to use.
In a small bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar, butter, corn syrup, and vanilla. Use your hands to knead the ingredients together to form a soft dough.
Wrap each cherry in a spoonful of the sugar-corn syrup mixture (I like to use a small melon baller to portion out the fondant).
Transfer wrapped cherries to a parchment-lined tray. Freeze for at least 20 minutes prior to enrobing.
While cherries are chilling, temper your chocolate. (See my notes on tempering, above).
Working quickly, enrobe cherries completely in tempered chocolate. Transfer to prepared tray and decorate with an enrobing fork, drizzle with additional melted chocolate, or top with Valentine’s Day sprinkles.
Place chocolate covered cherries in an airtight container. Allow to rest at room temperature for 1-2 weeks prior to enjoying, in order to allow the fondant centers to liquefy.
Notes
**If you prefer a stronger cherry taste, substitute 1/4 – 1 teaspoon of the maraschino cherry juice instead.
It’s important to start early if making these for Valentine’s Day; the candies need to rest for a week or two prior to serving. This resting time allows the fondant around the cherry to liquefy, creating the signature texture of a chocolate covered cherry.
An enrobing fork isn’t an absolute requirement for this recipe, but it will certainly make your life easier! It will also allow you to create fun decorations in your chocolates. If you don’t have one, you can use a regular fork to dip your chocolates instead.
- Prep Time: 45-60 minutes
- Category: Chocolate
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Sweets
