Chocolate Covered Cherry Diamonds Recipes

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY DIAMONDS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F (if using dark or nonstick pan, heat oven to 300°F). Drain maraschino cherries, reserving liquid. Finely chop maraschino cherries.
• In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, cherry liquid and almond extract with electric mixer on low speed until well mixed. Beat in flour and salt until well mixed. Stir in maraschino cherries. On bottom of ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan, spread dough.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
• Immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let stand about 5 minutes or until chocolate is softened; spread chocolate evenly over bars with spatula. Cool in pan on wire rack 30 minutes. For diamond shapes, cut bars diagonally into 8 rows by 6 rows. Garnish with candied cherries.

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-DIPPED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Finely chop 1/2 pound dark chocolate. Combine three-quarters of the chocolate and 1 teaspoon coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until the chocolate is melted; stir in the remaining chocolate until smooth. Dip 1 pound fresh cherries in the chocolate by the stems and set on parchment paper. Let harden at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE COVERED DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Place the dried cherries in a coating pan attached to a stand mixer. Spin at low speed. Using a ladle, add the chocolate to the spinning cherries. Add one ladleful at a time until the cherries are coated to the desired thickness. (Use a 50/50 ratio (50 percent chocolate, 50 percent weight of the cherries.) If a thicker coat is desired, use more chocolate and vice versa.
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a stand up mixer and mix until smooth. You will need to knock it down every so often. If you don't have a mixer, use your hands. This is a very stiff dough.
• Let stand 1 hour. Pinch of small amounts, flatten slightly and press around each cherry, sealing well. Place on waxed paper to dry. Let stand about 30 minutes, turn cherries over and dry another 30 minutes.
• Combine chocolate and paraffin in double boiler until melted and smooth. Dip balls into chocolate mixture. Place on waxed paper to harden.
• Keep cherries in a cool, dry place for 2 weeks before serving. Do not store in the refrigerator as this will discolor the chocolate coating.

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.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY DELIGHTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until blended. Gradually beat in cherry juice and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and cocoa; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in coconut, cherries and chocolate chips., Shape dough into 48 balls (about 1-1/4 in.); place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press a deep indentation in center of each with the end of a wooden spoon handle. Bake 9-11 minutes or until set and bottoms are lightly browned. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Fill each cookie with 3/4 teaspoon frosting. Top with cherries. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Spoon over cherries. Let stand until set.