cherry cordials

I have found that most people have some kind of treat that they make each Christmas as a tradition. For example, my Mom makes the world's best chex mix (sorry to all you other chex mix makers out there; it's just a cold, hard fact). When I was growing up, my neighbors always made hard candy. Some people make chocolate covered cherries, other choose to spend their time making fruit cakes.

A few years ago my parents were hosting a Christmas party for lots of neighbors and friends, and I was trying to figure out what kind of Christmas goodies I could make. I stumbled across this recipe and it's been "my" Christmas treat ever since.

Now, before you look at this recipe, see that it is a long process and run away with your tail tucked, wait. Yes, it is an all-day kind of thing. Yes, it is very involved. Yes, it is worth it. From what I hear, those red boxes of cordials that you buy every year around this time haven't got anything on these.

Let's proceed.

what you'll need:

• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 3 Tbsp. butter, melty/softened
• 3 Tbsp. corn syrup
• 3 jars maraschino cherries with stems
• baker's milk chocolate
• mini cupcake tins

how you'll do it:

in a medium/large sized bowl, combine butter and
corn syrup until the mixture is cloudy

sift your sugar into the bowl

combine with your spatula. once you have hit the point
where the dough is flaky and not sticking together, use
your hands to start kneading it. make a dough ball

put your dough ball in the fridge to harden

while that's hardening, pour the juice out of your cherries
and lay them on paper towels on your counter to dry a little

line a cookie sheet with wax paper to put the cherries on when wrapped

after the dough is hard, get it out and begin wrapping the cherries with it

pinch off just enough to cover the cherry and make it into a ball

flatten it out

cover the cherry with the dough

seal it around the stem

• put the cherries in the fridge to harden before coating with chocolate
• in the meantime, set out mini cupcake tins on the counter

[Okay, time for a side note here. Normally I use a double boiler to melt the baker's chocolate. But this was my second round of cordial making and I found a little gym that I had forgotten all about: my "Little Dipper." It came as a bonus with the crock pot I got as a wedding present, and it works wonders. So this time, I melted the chocolate in it and dipped the cherries.]

holding the stem, drag the cherry through the chocolate

place in mini cupcake tin

Viola! And now you know the secret behind those like nuggets of goodness. Now for the hardest thing that I must tell you about these cordials. Are you ready?

They need to sit for 2-3 weeks for their awesomeness to set in.

I know, I just broke a few hearts. You can eat them now, but trust me, the longer they sit, the better they get. So I encourage you to let this be some practice in self-control. ;) Enjoy!