I make these cherries 16 days before the reception to allow for soaking the berries in brandy and curing the cherries for 14 days before serving.)

Ingredients:

• 50 Maraschino cherries, well-drained   
• 3/4 cups brandy (sometimes I use cherry brandy)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon Invertase
• 1 1/2 pounds dipping chocolate (I use Ghirardelli Chocolate – DARK Melting Wafers for candy making and dipping – 1 lb 14 oz – Sam’s Club carries these.)

Invertase is an enzyme that liquefies sugar. It can be omitted without affecting the taste, but your centers will not liquefy. Soaking the cherries in brandy acts as an invertase alternative but isn’t quite as effective as using both brandy and invertase. If you choose not to soak your cherries in brandy, you should definitely use invertase so the candy centers will liquefy.

Instructions:

Day 1

• Pour brandy over the drained cherries and let them soak for 48 hours (minimum). 

Day 2  (…or the day before you want to make the cherries)

• Drain the cherries well on paper towels and pat dry. The dryer the better… so I cover them with a paper towel and let them set out on the counter overnight.
• Combine the butter, corn syrup, salt and liquid invertase and blend until smooth, then add the confectioners’ sugar and mix well. Knead until smooth and shiny, then wrap in wax paper and chill overnight in the refrigerator.

Day 3

• Shape a large, marble-sized piece of fondant around each cherry and place it on a wax paper-lined tray. Chill in the freezer until firm (about 1 hour).
• Melt the chocolate over hot water, stirring constantly. Do not let the water boil.
• Dip the bottom of the cherry in the chocolate and set on a wax paper lined tray. 
• When the chocolate has set on the bottom of the cherry, dip it in the chocolate again, making sure to get chocolate up and including a small section of the cherry stem.. The goal is to completely seal the fondant with a nice layer of chocolate so the cherry will not leak when the center liquifies.
• Chill the cherries until firm. Place in paper candy holders and in an air tight container.
• Store in a dark, room temperature place for 2 weeks—cold temperatures will slow the working of the invertase.

Day 17

And now for the tough part: the waiting! While the cherries can be enjoyed as soon as the chocolate is hard, to get liquid centers you will have to wait around 14 days (depending on the strength of your invertase.)

You can start testing the cherries after 7 days and continue to monitor their progress via the occasional taste test until the centers are completely liquid.Enjoy your chocolate-covered cherries!

Comments:

This is the first recipe I make for the concert each year since it takes over 2 weeks to soak the cherries, prepare the fondant and make and cure the cherries for 2 weeks before they are ready to eat.