Directions: |
Directions:Drain the juice off the cherries and put in a plastic or glass container and pour your desired hooch over them, enough to cover. My favorite is probably brandy, but Clay has used Jack Daniels, too. I've also used rum and vodka (vodka isn't too smooth though). I let them soak as long as I possibly can, at least 2 weeks. Save the hooch, it tastes pretty good!
After they've soaked, pour off the alcohol and let the cherries dry....they really need to be dry. I lay them out on a double layer of paper towels and put a double layer of paper towels on top of them and press VERY lightly and then leave them out like that for about 2 hours or so.
Mix the milk, sugar and melted butter together, form into a big ball and let it chill for about 20 minutes. After it's chilled, pinch off a small amount and press it out into a thin circle in the palm of your hand (get it as thin as you possibly can or you'll get a ton of sugar when you bite into the cherry) then wrap it around the cherry. Put the wrapped cherries on wax paper on a cookie sheet. Yes, this takes forever, that's why I sit in front of the TV to do it!
Once they're all covered, put them in the freezer for about 30-45 mins. Melt the chocolate and paraffin** for dipping. Dip each cherry in the chocolate mixture and put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Once they've hardened, you can store them in layers in a container.
**The original recipe calls for paraffin, I've never used it. I just melt the chips with some white almond bark, about half a package of the bark. You may need more chocolate as you continue dipping, sometimes what the recipe call for isn't enough. Also, I have NEVER used all of the milk/sugar/butter mixture. I would say 1/2 that part of the recipe, but I don't know what you'd do with 1/2 can of Eagle Brand milk. |