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4.6 from 27 votes

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cordials

It's easy to make Chocolate Covered Cherry Cordials at home, and so much fun! This sweet treat is a beautiful addition to any holiday table and is perfect for gifting - especially fun for Christmas and Valentine's Day!

Prep Time
35 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Additional Time
2 hrs
Total Time
2 hrs 50 mins
Calories: 93 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • about 60 maraschino cherries any stems removed
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips I use Guittard
  • a 1" x 2" x 3/4" piece of paraffin found in the baking aisle *

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large bowl, mix the butter, corn syrup, salt, and powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Then knead until completely smooth. If the dough is too soft, place it in the refrigerator to chill for a bit.
  2. Flatten a slightly mounded teaspoon of dough into a circle and shape it around each cherry. If you have very large cherries, you will probably need to use a bit more dough.
  3. Place dough wrapped cherries on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
  4. Drain cherries and place them on a paper towel lined pan to dry. Patsy always uses the cherries without stems. I experimented with both stemmed and stemless. The stemmed cherries take just a tiny bit more time to wrap with the dough, but a bit less time to dip in the chocolate. And they definitely have a different look, making for a really fun presentation. But I usually make mine without stems because they're easier to store.
  5. Place chocolates and paraffin in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (or use a double boiler if you have it). Stirring gently, heat until ingredients are about 75% melted. Remove bowl from heat and set on a kitchen towel on the countertop; continue to stir until completely melted.
  6. One at a time, drop a chilled dough-wrapped cherry into the melted chocolate. Use two forks to quickly roll the cherry in the chocolate to cover it completely. Lift chocolate covered cherry out of the chocolate by setting it on top of one fork's tines, and then tapping the fork gently on the side of the bowl, letting excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Then scrape the bottom of the fork along the rim of the bowl, removing the final excess chocolate. 
  7. Set chocolate covered cherry on a wax paper or parchment paper lined pan, using a toothpick to gently scrape it onto the wax paper. Repeat the chocolate dipping process until all chocolate covered cherry cordials are created.

Notes

  • These keep well in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Or in the freezer long-term, just be sure to chill them on the wax paper lined pan in the refrigerator first. Then transfer to an airtight container and separate layers with wax paper. To ensure juicy cordials when serving, be sure to remove them from the refrigerator or freezer to let them sit at room temperature for awhile. The cherries will get juicier with time, and having them at room temperature makes them juicier, too.
  • The original recipe that my aunt Patsy uses calls for paraffin. She likes the sheen and the stable quality it gives to the chocolate shell on the cherry cordials, but said she has been reducing the amount she uses over the years. I experimented a bit with reducing the paraffin even more, and using other chocolate mixtures without the addition of paraffin. I really do like the texture and stability of the recipe that I have shared with you here the best, using a smaller amount of paraffin. I also tried a mixture of 1 pound good quality dark chocolate and 2 tablespoons shortening, which still offered a nice sheen - but the chocolate shell was noticeably softer, without the "crack" when you bite into the cherry cordial. Another solution would be to use a mixture of 8 ounces chocolate flavored almond bark and 8 ounces good quality dark chocolate. The almond bark helps to keep the chocolate shell harder, offering some additional stability and a bit of that desirable "crack".
  • Adapted from my aunt Patsy’s recipe box, originally from her friend and neighbor, Teresa Schiltz.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 93kcal (5%) Carbohydrates 15g (5%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 4g (6%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Cholesterol 3mg (1%) Sodium 18mg (1%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 14g (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 93

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 93kcal 5%
Carbohydrates 15g 5%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 4g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 3mg 1%
Sodium 18mg 1%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 14g 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.