Christmas Isn't Christmas Without Cherry Chocolates!

I'm back! Did ya miss me? I'm finally home after a five week vacation with the hubby to visit our kids and spoil the grandkids. I managed to squeeze in a fast visit to International Quilt Festival and the new Magnolia Silos (new home for Fixer Upper's Chip and Joanna Gaines store front); stopped at a few quilt shops, antique stores and flea markets; took in the sights at Branson, and even learned how to blow glass! Can't wait to share with you some of the goodies I came home with over the next few weeks, but today was filled with laundry, unpacking, and making food for a ladies luncheon I'm helping with tomorrow.

Tomorrow is National Giving Day and with the Christmas season upon us, the theme for this luncheon is gifts and giving. One of the things I made is homemade chocolate covered cherries nestled in little gift boxes that will be placed at each table setting.

For our family, it's not Christmas until the cherry chocolates are made. I'm not sure how this tradition started in our family, but I remember my mom making cherry chocolates every year. Somewhere along the line, I took over the cherry chocolate making and now my mom makes all kinds of brittle - peanut, cashew, almond. Mmmmm!

So today, I thought I'd share my mom's recipe for cherry chocolates. Maybe it will become one of your Christmas traditions too.

Chocolate Covered Cherries

• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 - 2 lb. bag powdered sugar
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 large jar maraschino cherries
• 1 - 14 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cake paraffin wax

Combine melted butter, sugar and condensed milk in a large bowl. Stir and knead fondant mixture until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator 1-2 hours.

Drain cherries and pat dry with paper towels.

Pinch a 1/2" - 1" ball of fondant, flatten and gently wrap around cherry.

Place on waxed paper covered cookie sheet. Freeze fondant covered cherries until solid.

Melt chocolate chips and wax in a double boiler. Poke a toothpick into a fondant covered cherry and dip in chocolate to cover. Place in miniature paper cupcake liners. Store in air tight container.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!

~Sharla

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