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Plump cherries, creamy liquid center, rich chocolate… What more could you ask for!? These homemade chocolate covered cherries are the perfect little gift to give to friends and family this Christmas.
Featured with this recipe
If you’ve never made homemade candy before, this is an easy recipe to start out with! All you need are a few ingredients and a little patience.
Ever since I started making these homemade chocolates, I’ve never looked back! They’re SO much better than what you can buy at the store.
Also, be sure to check out our other chocolate recipes, like Mint Chocolate Fudge, See’s Fudge Recipe, Easy Chocolate Truffles, and more. They’ll definitely satisfy your sweet tooth cravings!
Ingredients in Chocolate Covered Cherries
If you’ve never made homemade candy before, these chocolate covered cherries are an easy recipe to start out with! All you need are a few ingredients and a little patience.
- Maraschino cherries – This recipe will make 36 chocolate covered cherries. Make sure to find the pre-pitted maraschino cherries with the stems still attached. You’ll drain all of the maraschino cherry juice and let the cherries dry.
- Butter – about three tablespoons, and make sure it’s softened to room temperature.
- Corn syrup – This adds a sticky sweet texture to the candy mixture. Sometimes I like to add a tiny bit of almond extract for added flavor.
- Powdered sugar – also known as confectioners’ sugar. Be sure to sift the sugar to make it light and airy.
- Chocolate chips – or chocolate candy melts. About a bag and a half is perfect. You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate, white chocolate, or even dark chocolate.
- Oil – Vegetable oil works great, but you can also use coconut oil.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- First, drain the cherries of all their juices and set on a paper towel to dry.
- Next, combine the softened butter and corn syrup in a stand mixer and beat until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar and then either use a dough hook or your hands to knead until the mixture forms a dough. You may need to chill the dough until it’s nice and firm.
- Flatten out about a teaspoon of the dough in your palms (pictured below) and wrap each cherry. Place on a tray or cookie sheet and pop them into the fridge or freezer until they’re firm.
- Meanwhile, melt chocolate combined with the oil in a microwave-safe bowl for about 20 seconds at a time (stirring each time) until the chocolate is just melted and completely smooth.
- Dip each cherry into the chocolate (while holding onto the stem) and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. You can try to gently shake off the excess chocolate if desired. Then let them cool at room temperature. Do not put them in the refrigerator or it will ruin the chocolate.
- And now for the hard part: leave them alone! Place in an airtight container and store in a cool place for TWO WEEKS (I know, right?) But I promise the chocolate covered cherries taste best if you wait until the fondant softens, which is a couple of weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
After the initial two weeks of waiting time (see step-by-step instructions above), these chocolate covered cherries will stay good and fresh for several weeks. Just make sure to store them in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
No, these candies don’t do well when frozen. Because of all the moisture in the fruit, the cherries expand when they freeze, cracking the fondant and chocolate layers. They’ll taste okay, but they won’t look pretty and you run the risk of the creamy center oozing out once they thaw.
Sure you can! But the fondant won’t have time to liquify inside the chocolate shell, so they just won’t taste as good. Sneak a taste, then put the rest away until they’re prime for eating.
Some people make them with liquor, brandy or rum.
READ NEXT: Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Rods
What Our Readers Are Saying
“I used to make these years ago and then I lost all of my Christmas magazines along with the recipe. My grown son loved mine and I will surprise him with these for Christmas! Thanks so much for giving this back to my family.”
Cindy
“I had no idea I could make these at home! This recipe was easy to follow and they turn out so delicious. Fabulous for the holidays!”
Wilhilmina
“Oh my gosh! A childhood favorite. Thanks for this classic Christmas recipe. Can’t wait to share it with my family.”
Lisalia
More Cherry Recipes
If you loved this recipe, it’s just the cherry on top! Check out these other delicious treats featuring cherries:
Chocolate Cherry Cake
Mini Cherry Cheesecakes
Alligator Jaws with Cherry Buttercream
Cherry Limeade Cupcakes
Easy Chocolate Cake with Cherry Topping
Shirley Temple Recipe
How to Make Chocolate Covered Cherries
Chocolate Covered Cherries
Video
Ingredients
- 36 Maraschino cherries with stems
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 1/2 bags chocolate chips semi-sweet or milk chocolate
- 2 teaspoons oil
Instructions
- Drain cherries and set on paper towel to dry
- In a medium bowl, combine butter and corn syrup until smooth.
- Stir in powdered sugar and knead to form a dough. Chill to stiffen if necessary.
- Wrap each cherry in about 1 teaspoon of dough.
- Place wrapped cherries on a cookie sheet and chill until firm.
- In a microwave-safe bowl melt chocolate chips with oil for about 20 seconds at a time (stirring each time) until chocolate is just melted and completely smooth. Dip each cherry in by its stem.
- Place dipped cherries on wax paper-lined sheets. Allow chocolate to dry/harden.
- When chocolate is no longer shiny, place chocolate covered cherries in an air-tight container (like a large Tupperware or Rubbermaid container). Store in a cool place for TWO WEEKS (yes, it is a long time, but patience, I promise they taste best if you wait until the fondant softens)
- After two weeks, cherries can be served or gifted in candy wrappers, gift bags, or boxes.
Can you use coconut oil for the 2tsp oil?
Yes, it actually works great 🙂
Mine looked fantastic, but when I let them cool completely and then took them off the wax paper, the bottoms all looked like they had expanded and pushed the chocolate out, letting the fondant poke through!! 🙁 Not sure what I did wrong! They aren’t sticking, as they come off the wax paper super easily. Might try dipping them and then placing them straight into mini cupcake liners and hoping the bottoms stay sealed!
Hmmm.. not sure what could have happened there :/ what elevation are you at? Do you live in a place with high humidity?
Can you use fresh strawberries in place of the cherries?
No– you definitely need to use the jars of cherries. The strawberries will not last
I wrap mine in marzipan, and then dip in Milk chocolate…delicious
My fondant is sticky, do I add more sugar. I can’t flatten it out to wrap cherries
Yes, if it is too sticky you can add more sugar so it is more like a soft play-dough consistency
How much semi-sweet chocolate do you use if you don’t use the chips? Recipe sounds great. Plan on making these soon. Thanks for this recipe.
You will want to do 18-20 oz.
What purpose does the oil in the chocolate serve
It keeps it nice and smooth 🙂
I like making food baskets for Christmas gifts. I start making my holiday treats in advance, then freeze the treats until Christmas. What is the best way to store the chocolate covered cherries if I make them 6 to 8 weeks in advance, and can I store them for an extended time?
Thank you
I haven’t stored them for more than just a couple weeks after they are finished setting so I don’t know how they will last after 6-8 weeks. I would imagine they would probably be fine if they were kept in a cool place in an air-tight container.
I make my own chocolate from scratch it takes longer but turns out a lot better than any store bought kind. Thanks for another recipe. My family is going to drive me crazy. Cause now I’m going to have to make about 25 dozen.
Wow – 25 dozen!?! That is a lot of cherry chocolates, especially when you are making your own chocolate. That is amazing. You are so nice to do that much work for your family. I hope they appreciate it!
My grandmother added coconut. Yummy
Just finished making these. Definitely, definitely use cherries with stems. It was a pain in the behind to dip them without. Also, I had to double the recipe to cover 60 cherries.
I found that I had to use extra fondant when I used cherries without stems as well. When you use cherries with stems it doesn’t take as much. They will be worth it!
Help….my fondant is sticky and I couldn’t knead it…I doubled the dose and I’ve put it in the freezer…tried more ps. ..little flour….
Sometimes doubling can make things tricky. Let me know how yours turns out by adding more sugar and flour
Can the cherries be placed in mini baking cups instead of putting on the wax paper?
If that is what you want to do, I am sure it would be fine!
just finished making these had a hard time with them they were falling about when I dipped them in the chocolate they look very messy oh well as long as they taste good
They should set up nicely. How were they falling apart?
Try putting them in the freezer on a parchment lined cookie sheet before dipping them. Hold together better and the chic sets up faster. Your chocolate may have been too hot, melting the fondant and making it gooey.
Can I add a little cherry juice when wrapping it in the fondant? A chocolate store has the cherries that when you bite into them cherry juice runs out.
We haven’t tried it that way.. if you try it let us know how it turns out!
So does this recipe make the kind of chocolate covered cherries with the white cream liquid? How do you make them with the clear liquid? Thanks!
Yes, that is why it takes 2 weeks to set.. the fondant liquifies and gets extra creamy
You can also speed up the process by putting a bit if Invertase in your fondant. That is what some candy makers use. You can find it on line.
That’s awesome! I am going to try that!!
These sound great
Do they have to set for 2 weeks. Or that’s the storage time? Watching to make but don’t have that much storage space in refrigerator
It takes 2 weeks to set so the fondant has time to liquify… after 2 weeks they will taste the best
They don’t need to be in the fridge. Just leave them on top of the fridge for two weeks and they’ll be perfect. 🙂
Erica said to let them set up for 2 wks at room temp – not frig. ☺
Whst is the purp use of wrapping them. Why not just dip them in chocolate
If you just dip them in chocolate the center won’t be creamy
Do you have to wait 2 weeks to eat them?
They taste the best that way, yes