Learn how to make rich homemade Cherry Cordials filled with creamy cherry fondant and maraschino cherry chunks.
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With its sweet creamy filling loaded with bits of maraschino cherry, no wonder these Homemade Cherry Cordials it’s a favorite for so many.
To give you an idea of how we make our homemade cherry cordials, check out this quick little video I made.
CAN I HAND DIP CHERRY CORDIALS?
This recipe has chopped maraschino cherries. When the cherries come in contact with the fondant a reaction called invertase occurs.
Invertase is an enzyme. When it comes in contact with sugar in the fondant, it causes the fondant to liquify. This process happens very quickly in this recipe as the cherry juices are mixed into the fondant before molding.
The liquification of the cherry cream center is actually favorable if you are molding as it helps the cherry cream center level out when in the molded chocolate.
If you don’t have a mold you can hand-dip a whole cherry. To do so you would make a small ball of unflavored fondant or fondant that has had a small amount of cherry extract added to it, about 1/2 a tablespoon or so. Flatten it into a circle shape. Use the fondant circle to fully incase the WHOLE marichino cherry.
Once the cherry is incased in the fondant, place it in the fridge or freezer. This will make the fondant exterior firm and much easier to dip. Once firm and cold, dip each center in melted chocolate and set aside to cool. This method would be much more similar to a traditional cherry cordial with a whole cherry inside.
WHAT TYPE OF CANDY MOLD SHOULD I USE FOR CHERRY CORDIALS:
Have you ever been in a specialty kitchen store with all those fun chocolate sucker and candy molds? Those are the type of molds you want to use when molding cherry cordials. You can find a few of our favorite molds HERE.
For our version of a cherry cordial chocolate, maraschino cherries chopped and added to the fondant then piped into the molds, we love the mold with two little cherries on top. This helps those that enjoy these homemade chocolates to identify what the center is.
If you choice to keep the cherries whole, make sure the mold you use is a bonbon style mold. This will ensure you have enough room in the mold for the chocolate exterior, whole cherry and fondant.
You can make molded chocolates using silicone molds but we prefer the hard clear plastic style. Silicone can act as an insulator and slow down the cooling process. The clear plastic style molds offer a beautiful shine to the finished chocolates and can come in many fun, festive shapes and designs.
FLAVORINGS: OILS VS EXTRACTS
If you’re a baker or candy maker you probably already know that oils are more potent than extracts. If you didn’t know this, now you do.
Nicole over at Baking Bites explains this beautifully in a short article she wrote many years ago. You can read her article about the difference HERE.
Bottom line, whether you are using cherry oil or extract in this recipe, make sure you start with a small amount and add more if desired. You can always add more but once it’s in there you can’t take it out.
My family likes LorAnn Cherry Oil. It’s highly concentrated so we only need a little bit, 1/2-3/4 of the tiny little bottle (about 1/2-3/4 teaspoon).
ARE YOU A FIRST TIMER CHOCOLATIER?
If this is your first, second, or thirty-second time making homemade chocolates, you might find this article helpful: Tips & Tricks for Making Homemade Chocolates. In it, I share tips and tricks we’ve discovered through the decades of making chocolates at home.
LOOKING FOR MORE CANDY AND CHOCOLATEs RECIPES?
- White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
- Peppermint Bark
- Peppermint Patties – uses the same fondant cream center as this cherry cordial recipe.
- Almond Truffles – uses the same fondant cream center as this cherry cordial recipe.
- Tiger Butter Bark
- Soft Homemade Caramels
- Black Anise Caramels
- Peanut Butter Balls
- Peanut Brittle
- English Toffee
- Peanut Butter Cups
- Smores Presents
- Almond Joy Chocolates – uses the same fondant cream center as this cherry cordial recipe.
HERE IS THE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE. ENJOY!
Homemade Cherry Cordials
Rich homemade Cherry Cordials filled with creamy cherry fondant and maraschino cherry chunks.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 3 cups white granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- cherry oil or extract flavoring, start with 1/2 teaspoon, add more if desired, the strength of your extract will directly impact the flavor of the center. *SEE NOTES*
- 1 cup maraschino cherries, chopped and well-drained (or whole cherries if hand-dipping, see step 11 for more details)
- 3-5 cups Chocolate, melted
Instructions
- In a large heavy saucepan add cream and sugar together. Let soak for a few minutes.
- After soaking, bring to a slow boil over medium to medium-high heat. Add corn syrup. Stirring constantly.
- Using a pastry brush and water to wash down the sides of the pan several times while boiling.
- Using a candy thermometer, cook to 238°F *SEE NOTES regarding calibrating your thermometer.
- Pour mixture out onto a damp marble slab, cookie sheet, or chilled mixing bowl (avoid glass as the mixture is very hot). DO NOT scrape pot sides when pouring the mixture. This can cause the fondant to have a gritty sugary texture rather than smooth and creamy.
- Place 1 Tablespoon of butter in the center of the batch.
- Cool until warm to touch (5-10 minutes) then beat or use bread hook in an electric mixer. Beat until mixture turns creamy and dough-like. Let rest. *SEE NOTES*
- When ready to assemble chocolates, add cherry oil or extract flavoring and chopped and DRAINED maraschino cherries. As the cherries mix with the fondant, the mixture will soften as invertase occurs. This is normal.
- Once the cherry mixture is ready, scoop or pour into a piping bag or ziplock bag. Clip the end to create a 1/4 inch hole big enough for the cherry chunks to come out.
- If HAND-DIPPING, add cherry flavoring or leave fondant unflavored. Form balls of fondant about 1/2 a tablespoon. Flatten into a circle then encase a WHOLE cherry with the fondant. Cover and chill until firm. Once firm, dip in melted chocolate. Please on a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper until chocolate hardens.
- If MOLDING, use a candy chocolate mold. For cleaning and use of chocolate molds, See post on Tips & Tricks for Making Homemade Chocolates. Fill each mold with 1/3 to 1/2 full of melted chocolate. Using a brush, coat sides (paint sides). Raise mold to the light to ensure each mold is fully coated. Place in freezer until hardened (about 5 minutes). Fill each mold with cherry filling. Make sure to leave a small amount at the rim of the mold so the chocolate on the top (bottom of the chocolate) will be able to seal without leaking. If cherry filling is TOO soft, set in freezer for 5-10 minutes to help filling set before adding the final chocolate top. Once ready, cover top with melted chocolate to seal. Place back in the freezer to set (about 5 to 10 minutes). Once set, carefully flip and tap. If chocolates are cold enough, they will just fall out. Do not heat mold or chocolate. This will make the chocolates stick inside the mold.
- Store in an airtight container. Best if enjoyed when freshly made but if kept in a cool dry place, these chocolates will keep for 1-2 weeks if not longer.
Notes
- Cherry flavorings come in oils and extracts. You can find the same kind we use HERE. Oils are usually much stronger than extracts. When flavoring the fondant, start with a small amount of flavoring. Mix cherries into fondant. Taste and adjust. You can always add more flavoring but you can't take it out if there's too much. We have found over the years that adding too much flavoring will make the cream center taste kind of like cherry cough syrup. That's typically not what people enjoy. You are looking for an extra hint of cherry.
- To calibrate a thermometer, put the thermometer into boiling water. Water boils at 212 degrees at sea level. Look up the boiling point of water for your altitude. Read the temperature of your thermometer when the water at a full boil. If it doesn't match the boiling temperature for your altitude, you will need to adjust your recipe temperature by the difference between the boiling point at your elevation and the temperature your thermometer is reading at a full boil. For example, if my thermometer reads 202 degrees when the water boils at sea level, my thermometer reads 10 degrees less than accurate. This means when I cook a candy that needs to reach 238 degrees, I will have met 238 degrees when my thermometer reaches 228 degrees (more or less assuming the error in the thermometer is constant across all temperatures).
- The cream center base can be made several days before flavoring and dipping. I recommended making the fondant centers at least the night before or 24 hours before dipping to allow the sugar to soften.
Delicious and nostalgic!!