Chocolate Dipped Luxardo Cherries 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-COVERED CHERRIES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the sugar, butter, milk and extract. Knead until smooth and pliable. Shape into 1-in. balls and flatten each into a 2-in. circle. , Wrap one circle around each cherry and lightly roll in hands. Place with stems up on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Cover loosely and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. , In a microwave, melt chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Holding on to the stems, dip cherries into chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper until set. Store in a covered container. Refrigerate 1-2 weeks before serving.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY COOKIES

Steps:

• For the cookies: Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl until evenly combined; set aside. Break the almond paste into small pieces in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and beat on low speed until the paste forms small crumbles in the sugar, about 2 minutes. Add half the butter and continue beating until the mixture starts forming large clumps and wiping the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining butter, increase the speed to medium high and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, egg and kirsch if using and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low until the dough just comes together.
• Scoop 30 tablespoon-size portions of dough, roll into balls and divide between the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly apart. Press a cherry in the center of each dough ball, then refrigerate the cookies on the baking sheets for 30 minutes.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and set at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the glaze: Combine the sugar, 2 tablespoons of the reserved cherry syrup and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the chocolate chips and stir slowly until smooth.
• Using a teaspoon, spoon the chocolate glaze over the cherry of each cookie, letting it drip down the sides. Allow the glaze to set before serving, about 10 minutes. Store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight containers for up to 5 days.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED LUXARDO CHERRIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, stir together sugar, corn syrup, 1 tablespoon water, and butter until a dough forms. Transfer to a work surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar and knead until smooth, dusting dough with more sugar as necessary, until no longer sticky. Scoop 1 teaspoon of dough into your palm and flatten into a 1-inch round. Place a cherry in center of round and wrap dough around cherry, pressing with your fingers, if necessary, to enclose. Gently roll between your palms until smooth. Repeat process with remaining dough and cherries. Make a small loop in one end of each length of wire, then insert a looped end into center of each cherry (loop will prevent wire from slipping out when dipping). Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet. Let stand, uncovered, until hard and dry, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Using wire stems to hold them, dip each cherry into chocolate, then lift and let excess chocolate drip back into bowl. Transfer to a parchment-lined sheet and let stand until chocolate is hard and dry, about 1 hour. Serve, or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 month.

HOMEMADE LUXARDO CHERRIES

Steps:

• Combine water, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan, and bring it to a simmer. Stir occasionally as the sugar dissolves.
• Add the Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and cherries. Stir to coat all of the cherries in the syrup. Cook for 5 minutes to soften the cherries slightly.
• Turn off the heat and allow the cherries to cool. Once cooled, store in the fridge in a tightly sealed jar.

ELEGANT DIPPED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Pat cherries dry with paper towels and set aside. In a large bowl, combine butter, corn syrup, unsweetened chocolate and cream. Stir in confectioners' sugar., Knead until smooth. Roll into 18 balls; flatten each into a 2-in. circle. Wrap each circle around a cherry and lightly roll in hands. Place cherries, stem side up, in a shallow waxed paper-lined container. Cover and freeze at least 2 hours., The day before serving, remove the cherries from freezer. In a microwave, melt white baking chips and 1-1/2 teaspoons shortening; stir until smooth., Holding onto the stem, dip each cherry into white baking chips, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. , Melt chocolate chips and remaining shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over candies. Refrigerate until firm. Store candies in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED BING CHERRIES

Steps:

• Pour the sugar into a shallow dish. Drop two drops of vanilla at a time into the dish in 24 separate places to form lumps of vanilla sugar. Set aside to allow the lumps to harden.
• Pit the cherries carefully from the bottom. I use a small curved dental tool. Make sure the stem stays intact.
• When the lumps of sugar have hardened, insert them into the cherries where the pits were; set aside. Melt chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth.
• Hold cherries by the stem and dip into the chocolate leaving the very top uncovered. Set on waxed paper to dry. Refrigerate overnight to allow the sugar lumps to dissolve.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Line baking sheet with waxed paper. Place chocolate in top of double boiler set over barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of pan to touch water); stir until melted and smooth. Remove chocolate from over water. Holding cherry stem, dip 1 cherry halfway into chocolate. Place cherry, chocolate side down, on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining cherries and chocolate. Chill until chocolate is firm, at least 15 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)