A delicious no-bake treat you’ll love! These Homemade Chocolate Chocolate Covered Cherries require just three ingredients and come together in under 10 minutes. They’re the perfect bite-sized indulgence to bring to a gathering or gift to friends.
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Sweet, dried tart cherries are coated with smooth dark chocolate and sprinkled with flaky sea salt making the best chocolate covered cherries. As far as quick and easy sweet treats it doesn’t get much better than that!
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These bite-sized treats are the perfect combination of sweet and salty and will tantalize your taste buds.
Plus, they can be varied and adapted for whatever occasion you need them for. A great bite-sized dessert that’s a hit with everyone.
If you are looking for other chocolate recipes, look no further than my Nutella Tart, Chocolate Chow Mein Noodle Cookies, or Chocolate Chunk Pecan Bars.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Three ingredients - you heard me! Three simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
- Easy to Vary - there are a lot of combinations using this method. I list some below, like making dark chocolate cherry almond clusters.
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make these treats:
Ingredient Notes:
- Use the highest quality chocolate you can find. I like Valhrona, Ghirardelli, or Callebaut chocolate.
- I also use a really good flaky sea salt like this one from Jacobsen Salt.
See the recipe card for quantities.
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Additions and Substitutions
Though these chocolate cherries are simple, they’re also easy to vary if you want to switch them up.
Additions
- Dried fruit - use any dried fruit mixture you want or stick to just one kind depending on what you have on hand. Cherries and chocolate tend to be a very rich and indulgent taste while something like dried apricots or strawberries are more refreshing and uplifting.
- Nuts and seeds - if you want a bit of healthy fats in the mix, sub half the dried fruit for equal amounts of chopped nuts. Nuts like pistachios, whole almonds cut in half, or cashews are delicious in the chocolate cluster.
- Sprinkles - make the chocolate covered cherries more festive by topping the chocolate with red and green sprinkles, shredded or ground coconut, or some edible glitter before they set.
- Extracts - add a bit of peppermint extract to the chocolate once melted to make it have the coveted chocolate peppermint flavor.
- White chocolate - for an aesthetic twist you can coat the cherry clusters in white chocolate instead of dark.
- Crunch - adding some Rice Krispies to the dried cherries makes the candy extra crunchy and a whole new kind of treat.
Substitutions
- Dairy-free - the clusters can easily be made dairy-free and vegan by simply using dairy-free chocolate chips to melt down in place of the chocolate.
- Candied fruit - know that while you can use candied dried fruit in the chocolate candy, they will become extra sweet. As is, they have a rich and delicious texture that’s a tasty balance.
How To Make Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries: Step-By-Step
Step 1: Microwave the chocolate in 30-second intervals stirring occasionally until melted or melt using a double boiler on the stove.
Step2: Using a small teaspoon or cookie scoop, add some of the chocolate to the mini-cupcake liners.
Step 3: Place a cherry into the middle of the chocolate and then top the cherry with more chocolate.
Step 4: Tamp down the pan holding the liners lightly. Sprinkle the sea salt on top.
Let the candy sit on top of the counter for at least an hour or until it sets. Store in an airtight container on the counter.
Recipe Tips
- Chocolate - make sure to heat the chocolate in increments, stirring every 30-60 seconds. Stop once the chocolate has just melted. If it burns it will become too sticky to mix and coat the cherries.
- Cherries - I use whole dried cherries in this recipe, which give more texture than chopped cherries.
Confidence Tip
These chocolate candies can be made in any type of mold that you have on hand. I am not using a pan, however, a mini-muffin pan will make for easier handling. You can easily find candy molds at any craft store near you or online at Amazon. Just look for a mold that will produce a bite-size piece. If you would prefer to make a cluster, just free-form the chocolate onto parchment paper and add the cherry onto the top along with the sea salt.
Store
Store the chocolate cherry clusters in a tight container on the counter or in the refrigerator. In the refrigerator, they will last up to 3 weeks.
You can also make these chocolate candies well in advance and freeze them! Make sure that you’re stacking them without the muffin cups and separating them between sheets of parchment paper so that they don’t stick together. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight when you’re ready for them.
Ideas For Creating Your Own Chocolate Dessert
- Chocolate peanut caramel clusters
- Caramel chocolate peanut clusters
- Chocolate strawberry clusters
- White chocolate pecan clusters
- Milk chocolate coconut clusters
- Dark chocolate pecan clusters
- White chocolate-covered cherries
Recipe Frequently Answered Questions
Chocolate-covered cherries make thoughtful but really easy gifts for friends and neighbors! Since they’re already in mini muffin cups you can either add them to a candy tin or stack the muffin cups together. Add a homemade label and you have the prettiest gift.
Of course not. Dark chocolate pairs beautifully with dried cherries; however, if you want a lighter and sweeter feel to the clusters any milk chocolate will work as well.
All dried fruit will become a tasty dessert when coated in chocolate; however, each fruit will bring a new flavor. Cherries and dried blueberries tend to be very rich when mixed into chocolate. Dried cranberries give a tart contrast to sweet chocolate for a beautiful balance. Dried apricots tend to be bright and uplifting, which works well with white chocolate.
Other Chocolate Recipes
Did you try this recipe? I would love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section and leave a ⭐️ rating and review. Share it on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
xoxoxo
Gwen
Homemade Chocolate Covered Cherries
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Ingredients
- 12 oz dark chocolate chips or chopped bars
- 6 oz whole dried cherries
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Line a mini-cupcake pan with liners or just use the mini-cupcake liners and set them on a pan. Set aside.
- Place the chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl.
- Melt the chocolate using 30-second intervals in the microwave and stirring in between. If you prefer, melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
- Using a teaspoon or small cookie scoop, add a small amount to the bottom of the prepared cupcake liner.
- Add one whole cherry on top of the chocolate.
- Add more chocolate to cover.
- Tamp down the pan to level the chocolate and get any air bubbles out.
- Top with flaky sea salt.
- Let stand on the counter until cool and set. Store in an airtight container on the counter or in the refrigerator.
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Valentine’s Day!