Cherry Chocolate Candy Recipes

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 CHERRY CANDIES

Steps:

• Beat peanut butter, butter and confectioners' sugar until crumbly. Stir in walnuts, coconut, cherries and cherry juice. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour. Shape rounded teaspoonfuls of filling into balls. Freeze 10 minutes. , In a microwave or heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip balls in chocolate, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed paper. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Freeze option: Freeze candy in freezer containers, separating layers with waxed paper. To use, serve frozen or thaw in refrigerator before serving.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE CANDY

Steps:

• Combine sugar, milk, salt, marshmallows and margarine/butter in sauce pan over medium heat.
• Boil 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Add cherries and vanilla.
• Pour in 9x13 inch buttered pan.
• Melt chocolate chips in double boiler.
• Add peanut butter, margarine/butter, and crushed nuts.
• Spread evenly over top of cherry mixture and let cool.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CANDY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust with flour, tapping out excess.
• Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the melted butter, buttermilk, egg, vanilla and 1/2 cup water together in another bowl until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisking until just combined. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through cooking, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Discard the parchment paper and flip the cakes right side up again. Let the cakes cool completely.
• Make the cherry filling: Quarter the cherries and transfer them to a medium bowl with the 2 tablespoons reserved syrup. Combine the gelatin with 1 tablespoon cold water in a small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Heat the gelatin in the microwave until it melts completely, about 10 seconds, stirring to dissolve. Combine the gelatin, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, salt and almond extract in a food processor and process until smooth. Scrape the cream cheese mixture into the bowl containing the cherries and stir to combine. Refrigerate, checking every 5 minutes, until the filling is just set enough to spread, 5 to 15 minutes. (Do not let the filling firm up too much.)
• Place one cake on a cake stand and pile the cherry filling in the center, spreading it in a thick layer almost to the edge. Top with the remaining cake, aligning the layers directly on top of each other so the cake does not lean. Refrigerate the assembled cake for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the chocolate ganache: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan then remove from the heat. Add the chocolate, shaking the pan gently to submerge it. Allow the pan to stand, off the heat, for 3 minutes to melt the chocolate. Whisk the ganache until smooth, then refrigerate until it is just thick enough to spread (like mayonnaise), about 15 minutes. (Do not let the ganache harden too much.)
• 15 to 20 minutes. (Do not let the ganache harden too much.)
• Stir the ganache again and scoop it on top of the cake, spreading it over the top and sides. Refrigerate the cake until the ganache is set, at least 2 hours or overnight.

DARK CHOCOLATE CHERRY CANDIES

Steps:

• LINE baking sheets with wax paper.
• MICROWAVE chocolate in large, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 45 seconds; STIR. If pieces retain some of their original shape, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until melted. Stir in pretzels, cherries and almonds until well coated. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared trays. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Store in airtight container at room temperature.
• NOTE: Coarsely chopped dried apricots or sweetened dry cranberries can be substituted for the dried cherries.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CREAMS

Steps:

• Melt chocolate and milk over low heat.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in powdered sugar, nuts and cherries, mix well.
• Chill until cool enough to handle.
• Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in nuts or coconut.
• Chill at least 4 hours.
• Keep chilled.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE NUT BARS RECIPE

Steps:

• Melt chocolate chips and peanut butter on low in the microwave. Stir well and add the chopped peanuts. Spread half of this mixture in a 9 x 13 inch glass pan sprayed very lightly with non stick cooking spray. Place in fridge to set up.
• Melt marshmallows in the microwave on very low stirring every 20 seconds. When melted and smooth, stir in the frosting.
• Spread this mixture carefully on top of the chocolate layer. Let cool in the fridge.
• Top with remaining chocolate for the last layer. If it has set up a little, just microwave it for about 30 seconds and stir well. Be sure to spread each layer to the edges of the pan.
• Refrigerate until firm. Cut into pieces - about 48.
• Store in refrigerator.

CHERRY CHOCOLATE BARK

Steps:

• Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil.
• Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, until smooth, 1 to 3 minutes (depending on your microwave). Do not overheat or chocolate will scorch. Using a spatula, quickly spread the melted chocolate evenly in the prepared pan until the bottom of the pan is covered. Sprinkle the crushed candy evenly over the chocolate, and pat lightly with a clean spatula to help the candy settle into the chocolate.
• Melt the red confectioner's coating, if using, in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, until smooth, 1 to 3 minutes (depending on your microwave). Spoon the melted coating into a resealable plastic bag; snip off a very small corner of the bag, and use to drizzle coating over the bark.
• Place the pan in the refrigerator or freezer until hardened, about 30 minutes. Remove from pan; peel off foil. Break into small pieces to serve.