Naomi Dunavan's (and Donna Smith') Chocolate-Covered Cherries
Making chocolate-covered cherries becomes an art form and after a little practice, your homemade cherries will be even prettier than the ones you buy in a store.
2 pounds powdered sugar
¼ pound butter
1 can Eagle Brand condensed milk
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2 cups flake coconut
Knead powered sugar, butter and condensed milk with hands, adding the coconut last. Let fondant stand 8 hours in refrigerator.
Drain 4 jars maraschino cherries (pour off juice and continue draining on paper towels as you don't want them too wet when you work with them).
To roll cherries: Take a small amount of the fondant and roll into a ball. Make an indention in the ball and place a cherry in it. Work fondant around cherry until it is completely covered, and with your palms, roll into a smooth ball. Place on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. When your cookie sheet is full, place it in the freezer until balls are frozen. When the cherry balls are frozen, the chocolate sets up beautifully when they are dipped.
To dip cherries in chocolate: In top of double boiler, melt together 1 12-ounce package of semisweet chocolate chips and ¼ pound paraffin wax. (That's what the recipe says but I use less than ¼ pound of paraffin). When chocolate and paraffin are completely and smoothly melted together, take about 5 cherries out of the freezer at a time. Stick a toothpick in a cherry and dip it into the warm chocolate. Hold it and twirl it a bit and then drop it on a small plate. Dip the toothpick back into the warm chocolate and then let a droplet of chocolate fall on and cover up the hole that was created by the toothpick. Keep the water under your double boiler hot at all times so the chocolate will remain warm.
Have fun. Happy rolling, dipping and eating.
