Christmas Cherry Bombs

a couple of Christmas Cherry Bombs on a plate.

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5 from 6 votes

Christmas Cherry Bombs are delicious cherries soaked in schnapps and dipped in chocolate and crushed candy.

Prep Time15

Chill Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 101kcal

Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

10 ounces jar of maraschino cherries with stems
¼ cup peppermint schnapps
5 ounces white chocolate melting discs
¼ cup peppermint candies finely crushed (from 10-12 pieces)

Instructions

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.

Notes

Storage:

To Store: You can store these cherry bombs, loosely covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. However, I do find that the condensation from the refrigerator can cause the white chocolate to not adhere to the cherries well.
To Freeze: Do not freeze!

Tips:

Be sure to choose a high-quality brand of stemmed maraschino cherries, as you want nice plump cherries for the best results.
You can substitute vanilla almond bark for the white chocolate melting candy discs. Be sure to follow the instructions on the packaging for melting instructions.
Use a good quality white candy melting disc for best results. I used the Ghirardelli brand (found in the baking aisle at your local grocery store) as I find it gives the most consistent results and tastes great, too.
For the crushed peppermint candies, I used the individually wrapped starlight peppermint candies (unwrapped); however, you can use mini candy canes as well for this recipe. I placed the peppermint candies into a heavy-duty zip-top bag and crushed them using a rolling pin.
Be sure that your cherries are really well patted dry before dipping them into the melted white chocolate, as any excess liquid can cause the white chocolate to seize up and not adhere to the cherries.
You may need to break apart the crushed peppermint candy every so often, as it can tend to clump together in more humid temperatures. It can get “stuck” in clumps as well if any of the melted white chocolate gets mixed into it as you are dipping the cherries.
You can swap out the type of alcohol used for these cherry bombs for vanilla vodka, spiced rum, or even Fireball cinnamon whisky.
If changing the alcohol from peppermint schnapps to another alcohol, then you may also want to change out the crushed peppermint candies as well and use colored sprinkles. If you use blue sanding sugar sprinkles, you could serve these at a patriotic gathering. You can customize these with the color sprinkle you prefer to coordinate with a themed party, favorite sports team, or other holidays.

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