This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Christmas Cherry Bombs get my holiday party started. When you bite into one you get the snap of white chocolate, the crunch of peppermint candy, then the soft juicy cherry inside. Once you eat one you want another.
I have made a lot of chocolate-dipped treats over the years, and I love making these for an adult holiday party. There is no baking and no candy thermometer, and the cherries come out of the jar already soft and sweet.
I soak these right in the jar they came in. The cherries sit in their own syrup with the schnapps run through it, so it works into the fruit rather than sitting on the outside. Nothing gets transferred, and nothing gets washed until the dipping starts.
These started as my take on classic chocolate covered cherries, and the peppermint schnapps is the whole difference. For the shot-glass version of the same idea, there are my candy cane jello shots.
ADULTS ONLY!
Why I Set These Out Before Anything Else at a Party
I set these out before anything else, usually right next to the cocktails. As soon as people see them they know what kind of party this is. Nobody expects a chocolate-covered cherry to have peppermint schnapps in it, so the first one always gets a reaction. The cherries do their soaking in the jar the night before, so on party day all I do is dip them and set the plate down.
How Long to Soak Cherries in Peppermint Schnapps
Soak the cherries in the refrigerator for at least one hour. After an hour the peppermint is noticeable without taking over the cherry, and overnight gives you stronger mint and more warmth from the schnapps. You are looking for a cherry that still holds its shape, with mint flavor all the way through, not a mushy one.
The soak is also the part you can do ahead. Pour the schnapps in the night before and all that is left the next day is dipping. The coating does not keep the same way, so save the white chocolate for a few hours before people come.
Making a Batch Without the Schnapps
You do not have to soak these in alcohol at all. Skip the soak, drain the cherries and pat them dry, then dip them in the melted white chocolate and set the bottoms in crushed candy, nonpareils or sprinkles. That version works for every age, and it is what I point people to when there are going to be kids at the table.
Christmas Cherry Bombs Ingredients
Maraschino cherries with stems: Buy the ones with stems, because the stem is the handle you dip with and without it you are fishing cherries out of melted chocolate with a fork. Maraschino are already sweet, soft and sitting in liquid, which is what lets them take up the schnapps. Fresh cherries are firmer and they have pits, so they will not absorb it the same way.
White chocolate melting discs: I buy melting discs for this and not chips. Chips are built to hold their shape in the oven, so they fight you when you try to melt them down into a coating. Ghirardelli is the brand I use, and it melts smooth enough to leave a clean coating.
Peppermint candies: I use the individually wrapped starlight peppermints and crush them fine in a heavy-duty zip-top bag with a rolling pin. Mini candy canes work too.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Pat the Cherries Dry or the Chocolate Will Not Stick
I dry every cherry by hand before I melt a single disc. These have been sitting in liquid in a jar and then soaking in schnapps on top of that, so they come out wet all the way through.
Any liquid left on a cherry can make the white chocolate seize where it touches, and then it will not adhere to the fruit at all instead of setting into a smooth white shell.
Lay them on a paper towel and go one at a time. It is a minute of work and it decides how the whole tray looks.
How to Make Christmas Cherry Bombs
Step 1: Soak the Cherries Right in the Jar Drain off some of the juice, pour the peppermint schnapps in, put the lid back on and refrigerate. The cherries stay in the jar the whole time.
Step 2: Drain and Pat Them Completely Dry Lift the cherries out by the stems onto a paper towel lined plate and dry every one. This is worth doing slowly.
Step 3: Melt the White Chocolate and Dip Melt the discs in short bursts at half power, stirring between each one. Hold a cherry by the stem, dip it about three quarters of the way up, then set the bottom straight into the crushed peppermint.
Step 4: Chill Until the Coating Sets Stand them stem up on a parchment lined tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes. The coating needs to firm up before anybody picks one up.
What to Pour and What to Dip In
Pour something other than schnapps. I have made these with vanilla vodka, spiced rum and Fireball, and they all work. When you change the alcohol, swap the crushed peppermint for colored sprinkles so the outside matches what is inside. Those sprinkles are also how these end up at a party that is not a Christmas party.
Change the chocolate. White chocolate is what I use, because the sweetness works with the peppermint and the cherries and it looks right against the red. Milk chocolate works too. Dark would give you a less sweet coating, though I have not tested it here.
If you cannot find melting discs. Vanilla almond bark should work as a stand-in, but I have not tested it. White chocolate chips are the one I would leave on the shelf, because they are built to hold their shape and will not melt down smooth.
How to Store Christmas Cherry Bombs
Keep them loosely covered in the refrigerator and plan on eating them within two days. Even in the fridge, condensation can work against the white chocolate and loosen it off the cherry, so these are better fresh than saved.
Once they are assembled they can sit out at room temperature for a few hours, which is long enough to get through a party.
More Easy Christmas Treats
These are some of the picks in my roundup of 39 easy Christmas desserts if you are filling a whole tray.
Remove the lid to the jar of maraschino cherries, being sure to save the lid, and drain out ⅓ cup of the juice from the jar of the maraschino cherries. You want to keep the cherries in the jar.
10 ounces jar of maraschino cherries with stems
To the jar of maraschino cherries, add ¼ cup peppermint schnapps. Replace the lid to the jar of maraschino cherries and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight. The longer you allow your cherries to soak in the peppermint schnapps-infused juice, the stronger the flavor will be.
¼ cup peppermint schnapps
Once the cherries have soaked in the peppermint schnapps-flavored cherry juice, carefully remove all the maraschino cherries from the jar, place them onto a paper towel-lined plate, and pat the cherries dry really well.
Line a rimmed tray with a piece of parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small, microwave-safe bowl, add the white chocolate melting discs. Microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute at 50% power, stir, then microwave an additional 15-30 seconds or until the white chocolate is fully melted and stirred to a smooth consistency. For best results, follow the melting instructions on your brand's packaging for the white chocolate melting discs. Be sure to stir between each time of heating.
5 ounces white chocolate melting discs
Hold a very dry maraschino cherry by the stem and dip it into the melted white chocolate, covering approximately ¾ of the cherry with the white chocolate.
Once you have dipped the cherry into the white chocolate, then dip the bottom of the white chocolate dipped cherry into the crushed peppermint candies. Place the dipped cherry onto the prepared rimmed tray. Be sure that the stem is pointing up. Repeat until all the stemmed maraschino cherries have been dipped.
¼ cup peppermint candies
Place the tray of cherry bombs into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill before serving.
Jenn’s Notes
Tips:
Pat every cherry completely dry before dipping. Any liquid left on the cherry makes the white chocolate seize where it touches.
Crush the peppermint candies fine. Big chunks sit unevenly on the chocolate and do not hold on.
Buy white chocolate melting discs rather than chips. Chips are built to hold their shape in the oven and fight you when you melt them.
Storage:Keep these loosely covered in the refrigerator and eat them within two days. Condensation in the fridge can loosen the white chocolate off the cherry, so they are better fresh than saved. Once assembled they can sit out at room temperature for a few hours.
Where is the substitution and additions section? I’m only seeing different alcohols to use.
Here you go:
To make these treats kid-friendly, you don’t have to soak them in alcohol. To make this all-age appropriate, skip soaking the cherries and simply pat them dry, dip them in melted chocolate, and decorate with crushed candy, nonpareils, or sprinkles.
I can’t wait to make these. I think I’m going to make them in chocolate also so yummy I just can’t wait.
Can I make these without using alcohol
Yup – you sure can! Check out the substitutions and additions section!
Where is the substitution and additions section? I’m only seeing different alcohols to use.
Here you go:
To make these treats kid-friendly, you don’t have to soak them in alcohol. To make this all-age appropriate, skip soaking the cherries and simply pat them dry, dip them in melted chocolate, and decorate with crushed candy, nonpareils, or sprinkles.