Chocolate Cherries with Stems

I make these outstanding chocolate-cherry treats every Christmas! You don’t have to use a candy-dipper, but it helps to keep the stems from falling off. If that happens, rest assured that these will be every bit as delicious. I don’t recommend using “natural” peanut butter in this recipe. Use the soft kind that spreads easily.

Chocolate Cherries with Stems:

34 maraschino cherries with stems, drained and blotted dry

1-½ c. smooth peanut butter

1-½ c. sifted icing sugar

1-½ c. chopped walnuts or unsalted peanuts

Six 1-oz. (28 g) squares semi-sweet chocolate

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

After carefully blotting dry, rest the cherries on a paper towel, setting aside until needed. Using clean or gloved hands, combine room-temperature peanut butter, icing sugar, and nuts until mixture holds together. Mold slightly more than 1 tsp. around each cherry, being carefully to leave stems intact. 

Partially melt chocolate chips and butter in a heat-proof bowl over simmering - not boiling - water in saucepan, effectively making your own “double boiler.” Stir until smooth to complete melting. Keep warm. Using two forks or a candy dipper, carefully dip each cherry into the melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper to cool. Refrigerate in airtight container until ready to serve. Yields 34.