Hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day yesterday. Brent and I skipped the dinner craze and went out for a lunch date instead. But it was a bittersweet day because he packed at night and left early this morning on a plane to Costa Rica for two weeks (and yes, I am incredibly jealous). My cooking/baking tendencies are either going to go through the roof, or I’m going to completely slack off during his absence. For now, enjoy some chocolate covered cherries. Who says these chocolate treats are only for Valentine’s Day?

These take at least a week before they are ready to enjoy (the sugar coating must be given time to turn into gel), but definitely worth your time and patience. They even converted someone who proclaimed to hate chocolate covered cherries.

Ingredients:

60 maraschino cherries with stems

3 Tbsp butter, softened

3 Tbsp corn syrup

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 lb chocolate confectioners’ coating

Directions:

1. Drain cherries and set on paper towels to dry.
2. 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 in freezer until firm.
3. Melt confectioners’ coating in a double boiler over low heat. Dip each cherry in by its stem, and place on waxed paper lined sheets. Chill until completely set.
4. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Best after 1 or 2 weeks.

Source: All Recipes