Tackling fondant can be tricky and a good work out! I used to make these delicious Cherry Cordials for Christmas and Valentine’s Day but have skipped them over the last couple of years due to the time consuming labor and short shelf life. I decided to make these cordials for a recent chocolate and wine pairing party as a special treat. Because I am always looking for new pairs to mate, we tasted these cordials with the famous Wilson Creek Winery Almond Champagne. I knew these two would hit it off because I always put a touch of almond extract in the fondant to enhance the flavor. I think the flavors are initially a bit sweet together, but with two outstanding partners it’s difficult not to find bliss!
Contrary to popular belief chocolates are not actually painted, molds are. This helps the chocolates keep their shinny appearance after being molded. If small amounts of cocoa butter paint stick to the molds and do not adhere to the chocolate you can apply touch-up after molds are released. If you are going to paint molds, it's a good idea to do it before you do anything else, as the paint will need extra time to set up.
Personally I choose to mold cherry cordials, mostly because it helps their shelf life. I also choose to use a “fancy” cherry cordial mold and hand paint them, because it makes them look fabulous! I have hand-dipped them and used a regular dome mold before. I understand that the experimental chocolatier may not have a closet full of molds like I do; therefore dipping will work just fine. When hand-dipping it is important to take special care in covering the whole cherry, if this is not accomplished the fondant may start to seep out as it turns liquid. You should also be aware of how thin your chocolate shell is because this liquid can sometimes penetrate the chocolate from the inside causing it to become soft. I know some people like to double dip the cherries to avoid these problems.
This recipe comes from a great cook book called “Candy Making”, my very fist book on the art. Back when I first started in my own kitchen in 2006 this book was pretty much the only one at the local book store on chocolate or candy making period. I thought at first it was a bit old fashion, but quickly learned “Candy Making” to be a great base for a beginner such as myself. Since then I have experimented with many of it’s recipes and they have inspired me to create some of my own as well.
***This is a great recipe and can be as simple or as difficult as you choose to make it. I think making fondant is slightly advanced candy making and if you have never tempered chocolate before you probably want to learn first by dipping something more simple. If you just have to make these and don’t know how to temper try using old school methods of melting chips and adding paraffin wax, my sis does it all the time. I have also heard they have tubs of easy melt dipping chocolate for beginners that you melt in the microwave. But I wont attest for that stuff as I have never tried it and am sure the quality is sub-par.
Tools you will need:
- paper towels
- baking sheet
- 4-qt sauce pan
- wooden spoon
- candy thermometer
- dough scraper and/or metal spatula to work fondant
- double broiler
- fork
- wax paper
Ingredients you will need:
- maraschino cherries (md to lg jar)
- sugar
- corn syrup
- salt
- water
- tempered chocolate for dipping or molding (I choose dark chocolate to help balance the cordials sweetness.)
I always try to find the smallest cherries possible so that they will fit better into the chocolate molds. I used a medium jar of Maraschinos that were already pitted and de-stemmed. (Approx. 51 cherries) Although the fondant recipe is enough to dip double that, I usually like to do around 50 at once and save half the fondant for a week or so later. They need to be placed out on several layers of paper towels to dry out for about an hour while you are making the fondant. *Be sure to reserve a little juice for later*
It’s time to cook the fondant, follow directions carefully and keep a close eye on the thermometer. If sugar crystals form along the sides of the pan you may wash it down with a wet pastry brush. I don’t usually have much of a problem with this if I stir carefully in the beginning.
Try to have your baking sheet on a flat surface, somewhere it can stay to cool and you don't have to move it. I like to place it on a wire rack or on top of the oven. I have a gas oven so the metal around the eyes keeps the pan lifted and air can pass under it to help it cool faster. The mixture needs to cool for about 20 minutes. The bottom of the pan should only feel ever-so-slightly warm.
*If you choose to mold your cherries now would be the best time to make shells. And if painting was involved it should also be set-up by this time.
After the fondant has cooled it is time to work it! It is especially useful if you can find a good surface to place the pan on so it won’t slide around too much. I like to put it on the counter top so at least one side butts up against the wall, this way when I push the fondant across the pan I have resistance from the wall. I also like to pour a teaspoon of almond extract on top the fondant before I start. Using a metal spatula (pictured below) and/or a metal dough scraper (pictured above) you need to work the fondant back and forth along the pan. This is not easy and gets harder as the minutes tick on. It’s important to mix it well; folding it onto of its self, scraping the pan frequently and even using a twisting motion to stir. Use one tool to scrap another clean when there is too much sugar build up.
Just when you think you can’t do it any longer, 10 min have gone by and you will need to keep mixing for 10 min longer. As the fondant starts to set up it turns from clear to opaque to white. When its white, impossible and starting to crack or crumble a bit you can call it quits. Pat yourself on the back and nix your work out for the day because that was it!
Once the fondant is set up you are now ready to slowly re-melt it for dipping the cherries. Place fondant in a double broiler on the stove over med/low heat. Continue to stir frequently until melted and then turn the heat down a touch. If necessary, the reserved cherry juice may be added at this point to thin the fondant for dipping. Add one teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. (I think this depends on how “set-up” of stiff your fondant was. I find sometimes I don’t even need more than 1tsp and other times I need up to 6.)
It’s time to dip! Fully submerge one cherry at a time into the fondant and fish it out with your fork, a regular fork is fine or a dipping fork if you have one. Let a bit of the fondant run off from the bottom and gently scrap the excess along the side of the pan to prevent puddling. Place each cherry on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. You will have to regularly stir the fondant and clean your fork while dipping. You may choose to use all of the fondant at once, or store what’s left over for re-melting at a later date. Best use of storage- in a plastic bag, in a cool dry place for up to a month.
When the cherries are dipped in fondant and cooled they are ready for chocolate. We don’t want to wait too long for this step because the juice from the cherries causes the fondant to quickly break down. This is what we want, but only after the cherry is also covered in chocolate.
If you have your molds and the shells are ready, place a cherry in each cavity. You may have to gently push them in to fit and sort of squish the fondant down to create enough space for capping. Once the whole tray is full, cover the bottom with a thin layer of tempered chocolate to cap. Let these dry completely before they are ready to be released from the molds.
If you are hand-dipping, dip each cherry in tempered chocolate, using the same technique as in the fondant but take extra care that you don’t scrape too much excess from the bottom. We want them to be fully coated to prevent seeping and quick spoilage.
This is what you want your finished product to look like. They need at least 24 hours and up to 48 for the fondant to become liquid. Cherry cordials will last up to 3 weeks stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place. Enjoy!
I’ve been making cherry cordials using a plain dome mold. I can’t find a mold like the one you show, with cherries on top. Can you point me at one?
You mention ” If you have your molds and the shells are ready, place a cherry in each cavity”
How in the world does one prepare the molds and have the shells ready?
Do you recommend adding paraffin to the chocolate?
Eric- try http://www.chocolat-chocolat.com/
Steven- the chocolate has to be tempered before hand and each mold has to be “shelled”. I’m not what you would call an expert on tempering so I didn’t give step by step instructions. The shelling process consists of filling the mold completely with chocolate and then turning upside down and dumping it out, to leave a thin shell. Tempering is not for the inexperienced candy maker, I would suggest this excellent book “Making Artisan Chocolates” by Andrew Garrison Shotts if you are more interested in this. I never use paraffin because I work with high quality chocolate. But I do know when I was growing up we always used it and if your just planning making these cordials for some good ole’ fashion fun and good eating I think it would be fine.
Thanks for the pointer to chocolat-chocolat. I see a couple of things there: a small mold that says it will fit half a cherry, and an oval mold with a cherry design on top. Oh, well. It’s a tough site to find exactly what you’re looking for, as there’s no categorization, and the pictures and descriptions are pretty crummy in a lot of cases.
I know their website sucks but they do have some of the best prices and selection of molds I have seen. You just have to have time to go through all of the pages which could take up some time. Also, they may not have the mold I use anymore.
Just made this recipe, and it definitely left something to be desired. Working the fondant did not take 20 minutes, as promised, it took 45, with two people switching off every 5 minutes. After finally solidifying, the fondant was then terrible to work with; a temperature to shoot-for would have been nice. It was either too cool (coming out clumpy and unattractive on the cherries) or too warm (melting and sliding off the cherries completely), even when the temperatures varied by only a few degrees. The cherries, which were made last Wednesday are still not completely liquid inside (it is now Tuesday), even though the recipe promises they will be ready in just two days. It’s been a week and I’m still crunching through rock-hard fondant. Disappointing.
I’m sorry for all your hard work, with no reward. Candy making can surely be frustrating at times! Any number of things may have gone wrong, first be sure to check the accuracy of your candy thermometer. I always get annoyed with this advice but I can’t even tell you how many times a bad thermometer has thrown me off kilter. It is possible your sugar wasn’t cooked to the proper temperature, making it impossible to set up. Or that the fondant hadn’t cooled enough before you started to work it, maybe it cooled too much? The bottom of the pan should have been only slightly warm. (I will be sure to record this temperature and add it next time I make these.) It sounds like the fondant was very overworked, which may have seemed necessary because of it’s consistency but would cause it to be crumbly, fall apart and never become liquid later on. I hope you won’t become too discouraged to attempt these again, my recipe or otherwise.
I just made these for Christmas and they turned out great. I Thought the instructions were clear and the pictures were helpful. I only have a few molds, so I had to make them in batches. I loved how simple it was to just remelt the fondant when I needed it. Thanks!
Hi Jenny, Well that’s a relief! And I appreciate your comment. I wish I was ambitious enough to make these for Valentine’s day. Maybe it’s not too late to make them and eat them for myself! Or maybe I will make them for Mother’s day because they make me think of my mom or maybe because it’s non traditional.
Have you had a chance to make these cherries again? I would be most interested to see the recipe again with required temperatures. I have a recipe for fondant that my mom uses for her cherries, although her recipe does not call for the fondant to become liquid. I am looking forward to making these using your recipe.
Not yet! But I’ll be sure to post when I do.
Excellent photos and instructions! Many thanks! HOWEVER…really, really,really interested in knowing the TEMPERATURE at which you START working the fondant: this seems to be where I’m having problems. So far my fondants just don’t want to liquify proper.
Please let us know next time you make this recipe.
These look so neat to make! I’ve never attempted them because they always seem so complicated! I have a cheating question though… 😉 Do you think premade fondant would work? I know Wilton makes it; I used it when I used to make wedding cakes. I think the fondant would be the hardest part for me…maybe I can get the kids to switch off every 5 minutes. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe…and the candy mold site! I’m looking forward to trying these in the next few months! <3
I second Lara’s question…is there a ‘pre-made’ product that could be used in place of the home-made fondant? Also, I just picked some BEAUTIFUL fresh cherries…can these be used instead of preserved cherries?
MiLady, I used to work in a candy “factory” and I kneaded the confection on a cooling table before I loaded it on a puller machine. Are the spatulas used to work the fondant in a similar fashion? I have trouble visualizing how you use the spatulas. Might you consider making a video? That would be helpful, I think. Thank you for your post.
This is exactly what I needed to get started. What say you? Will marshmallow fondant work?
Ok guys, sorry for the delay on your comments! I have been a bit MIA for the Summer, otherwise vacationing and hanging my head in the clouds. I would love to make a video of this recipe but I am a little camera shy, so I’m working on it. Hopefully it will be up before the first snow! It’s possible a pre-made fondant could work but I believe there are different types of fondant, therefor a fondant used for cakes may be a bad idea…. But I have never worked with fondant for cakes so I am not the best person to ask. Also please note that pre-made fondants do not compare to home made, in taste.
@Chris When I first started making these I tried it with fresh cherries and had very bad luck. Not to say that it couldn’t be done well. It was maybe an issue because the fresh cherries are so juicy and I didn’t let them dry out enough like I would with the maraschinos.
@Robert Working the fondant with the spatulas is a lot like pulling.
@apronappeal I have never worked with marshmallow fondant either and am not sure how the gelatin would effect the liquidation of the fondant.
[…] Best Cherry Cordial Recipe « Confessions of a Chocolatier This recipe comes from a great cook book called “ Candy Making”, my very fist book on the art. Back when I first started in my own kitchen in 2006 this book was pretty much the only one at the local book store on chocolate or candy making period. I thought at first it was a bit old fashion, but quickly learned “Candy Making” to be a great base for a beginner such as myself. Since then I have experimented with many of it’s recipes and they have inspired me to create some of my own as well. […]
I make these as gifts for Christmas as a replacement for our family tradition. We always bought my grandmother a box of chocolate covered cherries every Christmas. I honestly think the homemade ones are tons better!! Anywho, I make my fondant like this.. 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons corn syrup, and 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar. Just simply mix the 3 together and refrigerate for about an hour to make it easier to work with. I usually butter up my hands so the fondant doesn’t stick while putting it on the cherries. After they are dipped and set, it takes about 3-4 days to become liquidy. I hope this helps! Chocolate covered cherries are AMAZING!!
I’ve made cherry cordials several times but never with homemade fondant. You can find cherry cordial fondant mix at stores that sell Wilton and the like. It is very easy to work with. With the mix, though, you need to wait a week or more before the centers become liquid. They’re delicious! I will have to try this fondant, since I can’t find the mix I like. This will be fun, thank you!
I am going to try this for the first time, but was just wondering how much chocolate to use? I don’t think I read anything that said the amount of chocolate used, just the type you prefer which I also agree with. I have a lot of baking experience, just not a lot of experience making candy and especially the fondant. I don’t have a lot of strength in my arms due to a medical condition so I am hoping for the best. These are a favorite of my husband and daughter. I do know how to temper chocolate as I make truffles every year. So, if you could please tell me how much dark chocolate I will need I would be very grateful. Thanks so much 🙂
I have been working as an amateur chocolate maker for the last two years now (Christmas holidays, birthdays etc. for my friends). I have absolutely no problems with the tempering nor with molds etc., etc.. The one thing I’ve never had great success with are these cherry cordials. My one problem is after dipping them (either with or without Stems)they inevitably leak. It’s true that I can overcome this problem by using molds however the molds for the cherries tend to be rather large and the candies a bit too big. I’ve been unable to locate a source for small maraschino cherries. Everyone seems to have the gigantic ones.
When I dip I immediately place the cherry in the refrigerator on parchment paper. This seems to help somewhat. I also “touch up” the outside of the leaks with a little bit of brushed on chocolate.
I’ve gone through several types of chocolate and I’m using a very excellent dipping chocolate from a company in Atlanta Georgia.
I maintain the humidity at under 55% and try to keep the room under 70°F. So what the heck am I doing wrong?? Can you give me any advice as to how to avoid these leaks??
Would really appreciate your comments or those of any reader out there.
Many thanks
PS: as a comment to the readers about the temperature to start working the fondant, I’ve done some experimenting and for me the best temperature tends to be about 148°F. I make no pretension that this is the very best temperature for everybody but it works very well for me. The fondant works very, very quickly at this temperature and is ready in about 10 minutes.
I have a question if you have time…the fondant as you have listed, it liquifies without invertase added? Or should there be some in the fondant?
Many thanks for the comment Pat! Nice to know somebody reads my posts!
Anyway, as to your question: I have used the water fondant with and without invertase (1 tsp/lb of fondant) if I use it. Results so far have been the same: Leaks (darn! or Merde! as they say in France)
Today however: I HAVE JUST COMPLETED A NEW BATCH OF CHERRY CORDIALS WITH STEMS AND I HAVE GREAT HOPES!!!!
So far, they’re looking very good! I’ve got 3 small leaks around the stems out of 601 However big BUT….they just went into the refrigerator to set up and they’re going to have to sit at room temp for a week or two to know the final results: I’ll keep you posted.
This is the best result that I’ve had so far and it’s due to my changing several things in my technique. Here’s a brief detailing:
1. First, I DRIED the marachino cherries much more throughly than before: left them in a paper towel overnight
2. I used lots and lots of cornstarch when working with the fondant. This allowed me to wrap the fondant around the cherry without getting any cherry juice on the outside of the fondant. It also allowed easier pickup from the tray that I set them on.
3. I FROZE the cherries and forndant for 45 mins before dipping them. This seemed to make a real differance. The chocolate hardened much more quickly
4. I placed the dipped cherries directly on their tray in the refrigerator.
Any comments would be appreciated. I’m going to try dipping cherries without stems this afternoon. I’m beginning to become convinced that it’s impossible to dip stemmed cherries without leakage. I’ll keep you updated on my adventures.
T
To everyone who had a question about what TEMPERATURE to begin working the fondant at, I start when it’s cooled to 90 degrees. I’ve never done any different so I’m not sure what would happen if I did. My biggest fear is that if I start working it when it is at a higher temperature that I will have to work it longer. And that’s the last thing I want!
Linda- I’m not really sure how much chocolate would be required, it would really depend on hoW big of a batch you are dipping. Usually, I don’t use all of the fondant from the above batch at once. I do thinK it would be helpful to have a few pounds though.
Pat- I do not use invertase and yes the fondant still becomes liquid. Embarrassingly enough, I don’t even know what that is!
T- Putting them in the fridge/freezer before you dip them is a bad idea. Not only with fondant but anything you dip, I tried it with marshmallows years ago and the chocolate would just crack after it dried. When things freeze and then come too room temperature they expand and contract. This may be the cause of the leakage around the stems. Sometimes I do have leakage when I mold them but only if I have crammed a cherry covered in fondant into the mold that’s too big. This causes the bottom to be to thin and crack of not be completely sealed. I agree, smaller cherries are just hard to find.
A bit late to the party, but I wanted to say that cake fondant is NOT the same kind of fondant. It’s a sugar dough, not a pulled candy. Taffy is an example of the sort of candy this fondant most resembles. Using a pre-made cake fondant isn’t going to get you the same kind of results.
Also, I have been making dipped candies for about two years now, and I always freeze my centers (usually because I work with things like soft centers that would be more of a pudding consistency at room temperature, thus impossible to dip)…I’ve never ever had one crack or crumble once it’s at room temperature. Marshmallows however are a completely different animal than truffle centers. They actually collect the moisture in the air (And especially in the freezer), and when they rise again to room temperature, they become sticky and moist. Any moisture at all will ruin your chocolate, causing it to seize and turn brittle. So if you’re freezing centers to dip, they MUST be thoroughly emulsified and free of condensation before you dip, or you’re going to end up with a crumbly, marbled, unattractive mess in short order.
Alright, that’s over. Thank you for the fondant recipe. I’ve always ‘cheated’ with my cordials and used white chocolate diluted with cream to a liquid consistency. (They taste WONDERFUL like this by the way, but their shelf life is atrocious…not that it’s ever mattered, since they got eaten right away. 😉 ) but I’m feeling brave this Christmas and I’m doing fancy chocolate boxes so I am going all out and actually doing the fondant. I will have to come back and let you know if I have success or not. 🙂
Thank you! Thank you! for taking time to answer my invertase question…anxious to hear how the cherries you did turned out! All 600 of them! That’s a commendable batch for sure! I have my shells made and am doing the fondant tonight…wish me luck! I did stemmed ones the other week with a different recipe, and they leaked slightly around the stem but then the leakage quickly dried rather like sap on a pine tree! The photos you have of yours are so beautiful…can almost taste them just looking at the photo!
Thanks so much to all of you for the answers. Great to know that others are using the freezing technique too (and I’m honored that someone actually read my comments). I’ve struggled with this for over a year and a half and it’s been trial and error.
I prepared the following, long and precise note for my own file but for what it’s worth, I’ll include it here. It’s long but hopefully someone will find it useful:
Making Cherry cordials:
After many trials the following works:
1. I was using semi sweet dark chocolate (enrobing chocolate) from Chocoley. Viscosity was probably approximately 80 (?? – They didn’t seem to know when I asked them either).
2. I was using a chocovision chocolate tempering machine.
3. Before doing anything I prepared the maraschino cherries the night before. I separated them from their syrup and put them in paper towels to completely dry out. This is extremely important. The cherries must be as dry as possible before using them. If not the cherry juice tends to get outside the fondant wrap and burrow through the chocolate.
In fact I used two types of maraschino cherries. The regular ones and several jars of maraschino cherries that it been soaking in “Cherry Herring” liquor for two weeks.
4. Then I prepared the water fondant. Standard water fondant recipe using granulated sugar and light corn syrup. I prepared two batches: one using 1 teaspoon per pound of invertase the other 2 teaspoons per pound of invertase. The 2 teaspoons per pound work faster. I froze it away for a few days before using it simply because I didn’t have time to use it right away. I don’t think this made much of a difference.
As I previously noted in my posts, I let the temperature of the fondant get down to about 148°F. I do not work it by hand. I simply toss it into a 6 quart kitchen aid mixer with a plastic “scrape the edges” beater (add-on accessory from kitchen aid or other manufactures). I realize this amounts to bit of heresy but it works perfectly. The fondant sets up in 8 to 16 minutes.
After defrosting the fondant that I had frozen away for a few days, I then used lots and lots of corn starch to form it into small balls and then tap it into flat medallions.
This is a point I wish to emphasize. Don’t be afraid of using the cornstarch. This is the only way to properly form the fondant balls and the fondant medallions.
I measured out the water fondant with a small “oxo” candy scoop.
5. After preparing the “medallions” of water fondant, I wrapped each one around a dry, stemmed maraschino cherry.
6. Here’s where things get different. I then froze the cherries wrapped in fondant overnight in the freezer. I realize this seems heretical but it is the only thing that worked for me and it works perfectly! Without doing this, the chocolate doesn’t seal properly and has a tendency to form an enormous “footprint”.
I also want to say that this probably won’t work with all fondants. But after a year and a half of trial and error this gives perfect results.
Once again, you’re probably going to have to choose your fondant carefully.
6. Thus I was left with atray of fondant wrapped Cherry centers with stems. I took each one directly from the freezer (by the stem) and held it under my tempered chocolate for a count of three. This also might seem a little silly but this careful slow count of three was critical to sealing the stem as well as covering the cherry fondant correctly.
I then pulled the cherry out of the tempered chocolate and scraped the bottom two times with the dull side of a knife. Once again, this precision might seem silly, but I tried scraping it three times and I ended up pulling chocolate off of the bottom.
I then waited for a quick count of 10 before placing the chocolate covered cherry on a heavy weight chocolate “Dipping” sheet (bought from “chocoley.com”).This quick count of 10 was also very critical as a large “footprint” would form otherwise.
I continued to get the fondant covered cherries directly from the freezer onto the “dipping sheet”. I left them at room temperature until the sheet was full and then transferred them to the refrigerator until I was finished dipping all of them.
7. I then put them in sealed plastic boxes and left them for a week.
The results were magnificent!! Almost no leaks at all and magnificent, beautiful shiny chocolate!
The ones with the 2 teaspoons per pound of invertase were more liquid than the ones with only one. However both were very acceptable.In the future, I’m going to experiment around a little more with the invertase. I’m going to try the one and 2 teaspoons per pound before and after freezing the fondant.
Anyway, that’s my year and a half long adventure and trying to make chocolate covered cherry cordials. It took a lot of experimenting around and I’ve had to go against a lot of the advice given on the blogs and in the books but this works perfectly!
Slight addition to my note: the cherry cordials were left at ROOM TEMPERATURE for a week to liquify
Probably obvious….but to avoid misunderstanding….
To Emerald and Lady Chocolatier:
Gee, it really seems like you know what you’re talking about! We’ve both seem to have found the freezing technique.
Could you give me a few pointers on getting the regular fondants?
Do you use the hand technique or do you use the dipping tools? I seem to be totally incapable of using those dipping tools. I always end up pulling chocolate off.
Pointers please!
Many thanks
T
ERROR ON ABOVE COMMENT: SHOULD READ “DIPPING the regular fondants”
Re doing:
To Emerald and Lady Chocolatier:
Gee, it really seems like you know what you’re talking about! We’ve both seem to have found the freezing technique.
Could you give me a few pointers on DIPPING the regular fondants?
Do you use the hand technique or do you use the dipping tools? I seem to be totally incapable of using those dipping tools. I always end up pulling chocolate off.
Pointers please!
Many thanks
To Pat Bywater:
The cordials turned out Perfect (see above) but the number was 60 not 601
Sorry ’bout that. Bloody iPhone keyboard
T
Does anyone remember a co. called “Christophers Candy Company”? I think it was Something like the Nehi Cola Company [Both Western American Companies from the 1940’s or earlier] I think they make or made the Charleston Chew, Rocky Road, Idaho Spud and of course those “Chocolate Covered Cherries” with the bright pink “goopy-gooey” centers. Not to be the proponent of loving the inanimate or edible ” But I love those”! Num Num Num