Monday, May 30, 2011

Recipe: Drunken Chocolate Covered Cherries

Life is just a bowl of [drunken chocolate covered] cherries! 

Chocolate Covered Drunken Cherries

Ingredients:
  • Fresh cherries
  • Brandy
  • Chocolate chips

Directions:
  1. Rinse cherries.  Do not remove stems.
  2. Carefully slice a few shallow slits into each cherry.
  3. Put cherries into a bowl and cover with brandy.  Let soak at least four hours, preferably overnight.
  4. Drain liquid from cherries and dry off the cherries with paper towels.  Set aside.
  5. Put chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave in 15 second intervals at 50% power, stirring in between, until melted.  
  6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
  7. Carefully dip each cherry, by the stem, into the chocolate.  Let the excess chocolate drip off and then place on baking sheet.  Repeat with all the cherries, making sure they don't touch.
  8. Refrigerate the cherries until the chocolate is hardened.  Remove the cherries from the baking sheet to a bowl or plate. 

Cherries getting drunk.

Notes:
The amount of cherries, chocolate and brandy will depend on how many you want to make.  We made 45 cherries with about half a small bottle of E&J Brandy and just under one 11.5 ounce bag of 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate chips.

We saved the soaking brandy in an empty bottle.  We're not quite sure what we'll do with it but we thought it might come in handy for a future cocktail.

When serving, be sure to have a small empty bowl nearby for stems and seeds.  It is also nice to give people a heads up that there are still seeds in the cherries.   
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25 comments:

  1. AnnodearMay 30, 2011 at 7:34 PM

    Three ingredients ~ *so* doable! :-) Thanks for the recipe!!

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  2. emilyMay 30, 2011 at 10:46 PM

    Do you think it would work with strawberries? Experiment time! :)

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  3. AnnodearMay 31, 2011 at 8:36 AM

    hmmm..... I have a beautiful basket of strawbs ~and chocolate ~and probably brandy at home as we speak! Not sure they would hold up as well to being soaked, tho..

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  4. MeganMay 31, 2011 at 9:29 AM

    Yummy! Yes Please!

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  5. Owen's MamaJune 2, 2011 at 1:58 PM

    Sounds so good. Perhaps I'll give it a shot in 7 months? Wonder if I could soak these bad boys in ginger ale to help with morning sickness? :)

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  6. LizJune 23, 2011 at 12:55 PM

    What other liquor would work best? I'm not a huge brandy fan.

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  7. Kelly GuthrieJune 24, 2011 at 9:11 AM

    Try Amaretto. It would probably be an amazing brandy substitute with its cherry-almond flavor!

    ReplyDelete
  8. emilyJune 25, 2011 at 8:51 AM

    Mmm, Amaretto. I will have to try that myself. Thanks, Kelly!

    I was just thinking that port might also work. As would rum or vodka. (I'm sure Absolut has cherry in their plethora of flavored vodkas, right?) I would recommend making a sampler using various kinds of alcohol to find your favorite combination. I plan to stick to brandy because I am a fan.

    You could also omit the booze, dip those puppies directly into chocolate and enjoy them with your cocktail of choice.

    ReplyDelete
  9. MrsVidottoNovember 16, 2011 at 6:18 AM

    ohh la la. I will be doing these very very soon!

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  10. AnonymousJuly 5, 2012 at 9:31 PM

    I just had these for the first time. They were soaked in Cake flavored Vodka and dipped in white chocolate. YUM

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    Replies
    1. ChameleonNovember 14, 2012 at 7:38 PM

      Thank you for your suggestion. I bought some cake flavored vodka last year and I have no idea what to do with it. You just solved that problem. :-)

      Delete
    2. emilyNovember 14, 2012 at 7:53 PM

      That. Sounds. Awesome. Cheers!

      Delete
  11. UnknownJuly 7, 2012 at 4:44 PM

    Couldn't you pit the cherries from the side maybe? Just a thought.

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  12. Jeanne GOctober 28, 2012 at 8:56 PM

    Back in the day..... We used to empty out the juice in maraschino cherries, then replace with "Everclear". (disclaimer... That stuff is 180 or 190 proof.... VERY strong)
    We called them Cherry Bombs. Took them up to Alaska when we went sea kayaking. Didn't have room for much extra... At the beginning of the trip, no one wanted anything to do with them, but 7 days later, I was everyones best friend.
    I have NO idea why I shared that.... These sound very good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hairdelightNovember 12, 2012 at 6:55 AM

      Thanks for the back in the day memory! I don't like regular cherries, so this is awesome for me.

      Delete
  13. Mary~MomathonNovember 5, 2012 at 7:07 PM

    Found this on Pinterest, thanks! Can't wait to try it.

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  14. Roseanne DowellNovember 16, 2012 at 7:43 AM

    Why couldn't you do the same thing with maraschino cherries that are already pitted? Drain the juice and then soak them. I like the amaretto idea also. Sounds yummy. In fact, I bought a big jar of pitted cherries with the stems on.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Lois BergstromNovember 29, 2012 at 10:53 PM

    I also found this on Pinterest. Like Roseanne, I am very tempted to try this with maraschino cherries and amaretto. Who needs chocolate covered cherries in a box???

    ReplyDelete
  16. emilyNovember 30, 2012 at 10:50 AM

    Quick note on maraschino cherries. They are already processed/sweetened so I'm not sure how well they will soak up the booze. Also, it is important that the cherries are as dry as possible when dipping them in chocolate. That may be more difficult with maraschinos. If someone would like to test this with maraschinos and report back, that would be fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AmandaLYDecember 3, 2012 at 9:47 AM

      I've done this with maraschino cherries before. They soak up the booze just fine, but I left mine for a week. Also, to help with the chocolate to stick, dry the cherries very well and then freeze before dipping!

      Delete
  17. The Thomas'December 9, 2012 at 4:00 PM

    I'm thinking Amaretto instead of brandy?

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  18. UnknownDecember 31, 2012 at 2:55 PM

    Soaking in Amaretto as we speak. I pitted from the side, so no pit and extra easy for the amaretto to get into every nook & cranny.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Penelope SanchezApril 10, 2016 at 8:29 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Penelope SanchezMay 16, 2016 at 9:44 AM

    Thank you! The idea is really interesting and delicious!

    Mariz
    Great data for Seattle Water Main Break Company

    ReplyDelete
  21. UnknownSeptember 24, 2016 at 1:40 PM

    We make these every year at Christmas. Starting 6 weeks before the holiday - get a large bottle of maraschino cherries from Sam's Club and empty out juice and replace with Christian Brothers Brandy refrigerate. In 6 weeks drain cherries saving now red brandy for colds during the winter. Melt dark chocolate and dip - placing on parchment paper. Out of site good.

    ReplyDelete

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