Cella’s Chocolate Covered Cherries Homemade Recipe

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Homemade Cella’s chocolate covered cherries are a wonderful traditional candy. And they’re quick and easy to make with melted chocolate. Making them homemade gives you an end result that is even better than what you buy in the box at the store.

cella's chocolate covered cherry cut open
cella’s chocolate covered cherry cut open

Cella’s Holiday Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries

In our opinion, these bad boys are perfect for any special occasion, not just Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s day. It seems like at the store they start putting them out in the fall before Thanksgiving.

I remember when I was a kid, we used to buy these for my dad as a gift. And he still likes them. Who would have thought that someday I would be able to hand make them!

To make homemade dark chocolate covered cherries, just select good quality dark chocolate chips for this purpose.

We like to mix our melted chocolate with a bit of coconut oil as mentioned in our recipe below. This helps to make it a nice, smooth consistency to work with. 

cherries in a strainer
washed and drained cherries in a strainer

Cella’s Milk Chocolate Covered Cherries

Perhaps you’re someone who has a fondness for milk chocolate.

And if that’s the case, there are so many good quality milk chocolate chips that can be used. Just select your favorite. Or chocolate melts can also be used for this recipe.

Cella’s Milk Chocolate Covered Cherries, 72-Count Box

Once you get the process down, making your milk chocolate or dark chocolate covered cherries will go quite quickly. You might find yourself thinking that you’re ready to create your own box of 72 count cherries.

They make a great gift to give to a friend, neighbor or family member as a gift for a special occasion or any holiday celebration. If you make a 72-count box, be sure to send us a picture.  We’d love to see your work!

melted chocolate
melted chocolate

Cella’s Chocolate Covered Cherry Mystery SOLVED! – Look What I Found Inside My Dark Chocolate Candy?

Though Cella’s chocolate covered cherries are traditionally filled with a single cherry and the sugar paste, which if left to sit long enough will turn into liquid.

But you might prefer to add something else to the inner portion of your chocolate covered cherry. Items such as sprinkles, nuts, coconut or literally whatever you want to add can be a fun variation to your chocolate covered cherry.

Queen Anne Cordial vs Cella’s Chocolate Covered Cherries, FoodFights Buys Best Boxed Candy Gifts

When you’re trying to decide the best chocolate covered cherries or cherry cordial chocolates, what kinds of things do you take into consideration? Here are some thoughts:

Chocolate to cherry ratio. Is there too much chocolate and not enough cherry? Or is there too much cherry and not enough chocolate?

These things are a matter of preference, but choosing the perfect ratio in a purchased chocolate covered cherry or in your homemade cherry cordial candies is an important aspect to get them perfect.

cherries wrapped in paste
cherries wrapped in paste

Dark or milk chocolate. Do you prefer dark chocolate or milk chocolate? If you’re making them at home with our recipe, you get to choose what kind of chocolate to use.

But if you’re buying them from the store, be sure to note and consider the kind of chocolate you prefer.

Liquid or solid. Do you prefer solid centers or liquid centers in your chocolate covered cherries? This is another aspect to take into consideration.

When you make our recipe, the longer you let the candy sit, the more liquid the center becomes. And in the realm of Cella’s chocolate covered cherries that equates to perfection.

Cella’s Chocolate Covered Cherries Review

We hope you’ll try our recipe for Cella chocolate covered cherries and make them homemade.

If you do, please take the time to post a review in the comments below. We read every single one and appreciate them. Most of all, we trust your recipients will enjoy this wonderfully classic chocolate candy.

dipping cherries in chocolate
dipping cherries in chocolate

Frequently Asked Questions

Following are questions that are asked frequently about making Cella’s Chocolate Covered Cherries.

What kind of chocolate should I use?

You can use your favorite kind of chocolate. We recommend a higher quality chocolate for best results.

How long do chocolate covered cherries last?

Chocolate covered cherries can last for 2-4 weeks. In fact, the longer you let them set, the better the centers become.

It takes time for the sugar paste to turn to liquid, so we recommend storing them for 2-4 weeks before serving them.

maraschino cherries ready to dip
maraschino cherries ready to dip in chocolate

How do I store my cherries?

Once the chocolate is set up, we recommend storing them in an airtight container at room temperature.

Can I freeze chocolate covered cherries?

You can, but it will stop the process of the sugar paste turning to liquid. To allow it to ripen and for best results, store your candy at room temperature.

cella's chocolate covered cherry cut open
Our copycat version
cellas chocolate covered cherries
Cella’s store brand

How to Make Cella’s Chocolate Covered Cherries

To make Cella’s chocolate covered cherries, you will mix the sugar paste dough and let it chill. Then wrap it around each cherry before dipping it in melted chocolate. The longer you let this classic candy sit, the better the centers become.

Ingredients

36 maraschino cherries (with or without stems)
3 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons corn syrup
2 cups powdered sugar
18 ounces of chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil

dipped cherries
dipped cherries

Directions

1. Place softened butter and corn syrup in a stand mixer. Mix thoroughly. Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until a dough forms.

2. Refrigerate dough for two hours until it stiffens and is easy to work with.

3. Prepare cherries by draining their juice, rinsing them with water and drying them.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper so that cherries can be placed here to set up.

5. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler pan and stir in coconut oil until completely smooth.

6. Use about 1 teaspoon of dough and roll it out thin. Wrap it around each individual cherry. And place them back in the refrigerator.

7.  Dip each cherry into the melted chocolate, then place them on parchment paper to set up. If your cherries do not have stems, place them on a fork to dip them into the melted chocolate.

8. Allow the chocolate to harden. To speed up the hardening process, place the cherries in the refrigerator.

9. Once your cherries are set, place them in an airtight container at room temperature. All them to sit for 2-4 weeks. The longer they sit, the more liquified the center becomes, giving you the perfect Cella’s chocolate covered cherries.

cherries in paste
cherries in paste

Allergen Statement

This recipe contains chocolate and dairy. If you are allergic to chocolate or dairy, you will want to substitute ingredients accordingly.

cella's chocolate covered cherry
cella’s chocolate covered cherry copycat

Frequently Asked Questions:

​Following are frequently asked questions that relate to homemade Cella’s Chocolate Covered Cherries. If you have a question that’s not answered here, feel free to drop it to us in the comments box below. 

​Are there nutritional benefits to making your own chocolate covered cherries?

Yes, you can avoid consuming chemicals such as sulfur dioxide, citric acid, calcium chloride, soya lecithin, and sodium benzoate.

And using real cherries without the artificial color and artificial flavoring makes some mighty delicious cherries.

You can even achieve liquid-filled treats with clear liquid by following our step by step instructions and recipe. 

Can you create handmade gift boxes with homemade chocolate covered cherries?

Yes, this recipe for chocolate covered cherries is worth savoring and we believe it’s even gift worthy for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and Valentine’s day.  

If you know someone who has a sweet tooth, why not consider making Cella’s cherries with a liquid center just for them. A box of Cella cherries is the perfect gift.

You can use semi-sweet chocolate, along with a single maraschino cherry for a flavor that’s not too sweet.

Or consider using dark chocolate for an exceptional dark chocolate shell. The rich chocolate coating, made of real milk chocolate, combined with the Cella’s cherry makes for one of the most delightful indulgences and multi-layered confection. 

What can I use homemade chocolate covered cherries for?

Cella’s dark chocolate covered cherries work great as a special snack, excellent after-dinner treat, or as sweet gifts.

When gift giving real dark chocolate covered cherries, we like to make them with the very best quality chocolate and think of them as a sumptuous confection for any occasion. 

They work great as a gift for birthdays, anniversaries, welcoming a new neighbor, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, engagement or any special event. 

Making them with rich dark chocolate and the incorporation of rich cherry syrup makes a perfectly balanced blend of textures.

Just wait for them to dry, then package them in a little gift box for wonderful gift giving. 

Printable Recipe

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cellas chocolate covered cherries pinterest pin

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Sarah
Sarah is known for her extra fancy yeast breads, melt in your mouth pies, and everything salads. She has won awards as a home cook, and is passionate about helping others feel smarter in the kitchen. Sarah is the cooking genius of the sister duo.

6 thoughts on “Cella’s Chocolate Covered Cherries Homemade Recipe”

  1. 4 stars
    Good Morning!
    I made this recipe and am fairly happy with the results.  The candy does taste good.  My questions are:
    How do I keep the paste from sticking to rolling pin and surface?  I tried marble, pastry cloth and a bit of powdered sugar.  While the sugar helped a bit, I had to add more to my cloth and pin each candy.
    Secondly, how do I make my chocolate shiny?  It was shiny to start with but once cooled it was dull/matte finish.
    Thank you for your help!

    Reply
    • Hi Linda,
      We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe. To answer your questions:
      1. If the paste sticks to the rolling pin, try chilling it first and use powdered sugar added to the surface to keep it from sticking.
      2. For making chocolate shiny, the temperature the chocolate is melted at will make a difference. You’ll want to keep the temperature as low as possible to obtain a shiny surface. Ideally, this would mean not allowing the temperature of the chocolate to surpass 86F degrees. Also adding the coconut oil to the chocolate will help.

      Reply

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