How to make Cherry Cordials
You can make classic Cherry Cordials at home. Cherries, Kirschwasser, and dark chocolate come together for the ultimate candy treat. Learn how to make the real cordial-syrup filling.
Table of contents
These are real-deal Cherry Cordial Candies
When you bite into a true Cherry Cordial candy you get the snap of real chocolate and a gush of sweet and slightly boozy syrup.
There are plenty of recipes on the internet that take all sorts of short cuts to make cherry cordials. Most of them do not have the syrupy center that defines this candy.
Admittedly, this is a bit of a fussy recipe. Homemade candy will take a little time and attention to get it just right.
But, if you’re going to put the time in to make these gems from scratch, you might as well use real chocolate and create the oozy syrupy center that sets this candy apart.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Maraschino Cherries – I use basic maraschino cherries that you can buy in the supermarket. The stems are handy for holding the cherries as you dip and I like the way the stems look on the finished candies.
- Kirshwasser – Alcohol breaks down the fondant coating on the cherry so that it liquifies inside the chocolate shell. If you don’t want to use alcohol, add 1/4 teaspoon Invertase to the fondant. Invertase will break down the crystals in the fondant, turning it into a syrup just like the alcohol does. You can use whiskey, bourbon, rum of any high ABV liquor of your choice.
- Corn Syrup – Corn syrup prevents the sugar syrup from crystallizing as you cook it to the proper temperature.
- Semi- Sweet Chocolate – The chocolate must be “tempered” to achieve a smooth finish and snappy texture.
How to make Cherry Cordials
See the recipe card for detailed measurements and instructions.
- Drain the cherries and reserve the juice. Return the cherries to the jar.
- Pour the Kirschwasser over the cherries then add enough of the reserved juice to fill the jar.
- Cover the jar and set the cherries aside overnight.
- Combine the sugar, water, corn syrup and some of the cherry juice in a small pot.
- Bring the syrup to a boil and reduce the heat to medium high. Cook the syrup to 240F.
- Immediately pour the syrup into a food processor. Wash the thermometer probe and set it into the syrup.
- Wait until the temperature drops between 130-140F then immediately process the syrup until it thickens and becomes opaque. Transfer the fondant to a bowl. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of water over the surface to prevent it from forming a crust. Cover, then set the fondant aside for at least 6 hours or over night.
- Drain the cherries and blot them dry with paper towels.
- Warm the fondant in 10 second increments until it thickly coats a spoon.
- Hold a cherry by the stem and dip it into the fondant. Dip up to the base of the stem.
- Allow the excess fondant to drip back into the bowl.
- Set the cherries on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Let the fondant dry completely.
- Make an assembly line with the fondant dipped cherries, tempered chocolate and a baking sheet line with clean parchment or silicone baking mat.
- Dip each cherry into the chocolate, completely covering the fondant. Allow the excess to drip back into the bowl.
- Set the chocolate dipped cherries on the sheet pan. Allow the candies for cure for at least 2-3 days before serving.
Pastry Chef Tips
- Soak the cherries and make the fondant the day before you want to make the candies. The next day you’ll be ready to proceed with dipping.
- When you drain the alcohol soaked cherries, make sure to blot them thoroughly with paper towels. Any residual moisture on the cherries can cause the fondant to slide off.
- If the fondant becomes too thick as you’re dipping the cherries, microwave it for just a few seconds to loosen it up. Don’t overheat the fondant or you’ll loose the crystals.
- You can add a few DROPS of water to thin the fondant. Be careful because it’s very easy to overdo it and make the fondant runny.
Storage
Cherry cordials can be stored in a covered container at room temperature. Allow the cherries to cure for at least 2-3 days before serving. After 3 days the fondant should be turned into a syrup. The cherries will keep at room temperature for at least 2 weeks.
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Cherry Cordials Recipe
You can make classic Cherry Cordials at home. Cherries, Kirschwasser, and dark chocolate come together for the ultimate candy treat.
candies
Ingredients
- 16 oz maraschino cherries (with stems)
- 4 oz Kirschwasser (½ cup)
- 16 oz granulated sugar (2 cups)
- 4 oz water (½ cup)
- 2 ¾ oz light corn syrup (¼ cup)
- 16 oz semi-sweet chocolate
Instructions
- Drain 16 oz maraschino cherries, reserving the liquid. Place the cherries back in the jar and pour 4 oz Kirschwasser over the cherries. Add as much of the reserved liquid as needed to completely cover the cherries. Don't discard the rest of the cherry liquid yet. Close the jar and set it aside for at least 12 hours, or overnight.
- Have a food processor set up near the stove. Combine 16 oz granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of the reserved maraschino cherry liquid, 4 oz water and 2 ¾ oz light corn syrup in a saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Do not stir the syrup once it begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium high. Dip a pastry brush in water to clean any splatters from the sides of the pan. Place a thermometer into the syrup and boil until the temperature reaches 240 °F.
- Remove the pot from the heat and immediately pour the syrup into the food processor. Rinse the thermometer to remove any sugar crystals and set the thermometer into the syrup. Do not disturb the syrup as it cools.
- Allow the syrup to cool between 130 °F– 140 °F. Remove the thermometer. Process the syrup for 3-4 minutes until it thickens and becomes opaque.
- Pour the fondant into a microwave safe container. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of water over the fondant to cover the surface. This will prevent it from forming a crust. Cover the container and set aside for several hours or overnight.
- Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicon baking mat. Drain the cherries and thoroughly blot them dry with paper towels. The drier the cherries, the better the fondant will adhere.
- Warm the fondant in the microwave in 10 second increments until it is a little warmer than body temperature and loosens up enough to thickly coat the back of a spoon. Don't let the fondant get warmer than 160 °F or you'll loose the crystals.
- Use the stem to lift a cherry and dip it into the fondant, covering the cherry up to the stem. Hold the cherry over the bowl to allow the excess fondant to drip back into the bowl. Set the cherry onto one of the lined sheet pans. Continue dipping all the cherries. You may need to rewarm the fondant if it becomes too thick to dip. You can sprinkle a few drops of water to loosen up the fondant if needed. Don't add too much water or the fondant won't stick to the cherries. Set the cherries aside to dry while you temper the chocolate. Visit this post to see how to temper chocolate.
- Lift a cherry by the stem and dip it into the tempered chocolate, covering all the fondant and going a little up the base of the stem. Hold the cherry over the bowl to allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl.
- Set the cherry onto the other lined sheet pan. Continue dipping all the cherries. Allow the chocolate set completely before packing the cherries into a covered container. Store at room temperature. The fondant layer needs a couple of days to melt and become the cordial syrup. Wait at least 2-3 days before serving.
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Video
Notes
The Kirschwasser not only adds the “cordial” to the candy, but it also turns the fondant into a syrup. If you don’t want to use alcohol, add 1/4 teaspoon Invertase to the fondant. The invertase will break down the crystals in the fondant, turning it into a syrup just like the alcohol does.
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Hi! In the prep time listed it says 2 hours, but the recipe asks to soak the cherries for at least 12. Does the time soaking make a huge difference, or can I just do 2 hours? Thanks!
By “prep time” I mean the active time making the candies. The soaking time is passive so I don’t list it in the prep time. The soaking does make a different for the flavor of the cherries.
Hi Eileen! I’m actually doing a Chemistry project for school on Cherry Cordials and I was wondering if you have to do number 7? In other words, could I wrap the cherries in the fondant right after I’ve made it?
Thank you!
Morgan
Sorry for the delayed response, somehow your comment ended up in the spam folder. You could try to use it right away, but it does firm up pretty quickly since it cools quite a bit as your process the syrup. If the fondant is too thick to dip the cherries you will need to reheat it briefly to get it thin enough to dip the cherries.
Hello, TY 4 this delish recipe. Two attempts down and still not correct–that’s my problem, what does correct look like when you haven’t made it before.? Of course, my using different brand and size of maraschino cherries is complicating the process. I’m using a 13.5 oz jar of Bada Bing Cherries. So immediately I’ve got a problem-how much more liquid would I need to meet recipe requirements? (I didn’t add any additional liquid.)
I’m interested in making these as gifts, not knowing my full audience, I’ve decided to go non-alcoholic.
When do you add the invertase? (Be careful folks, invertase is 1/4 tsp not 4 oz if using liquor). Most recipes say to add after the cooking step.
What do you cover the cherries with if not using liquor/Kirschwasser?
For the cooling before processing step. I cooled the recipe to 120 using Polder instant read thermometer. Soon as it started processing, I could see the mixture was still quite hot, I stopped processing and waited for it to cool back down to 120. Was this OK? It never turned opaque.
Is it the processing step that creates the crystals? Is turning opaque the signal its processed enough? This might help figure out how long to process or whether or not the batch is a fail.
My second batch was much closer but was never going to work since I overcooked it but it turned nice opaque color but got way too stiff to work with. Very fun stuff, it was like taffy and such a beautiful color.
What is the reserved 2 T of cherry juice used for?
I’ve googled around and can’t find answers sooo please help I really want to make these! TY! jean
I’ll try to address as many of your issues as I can. Do you think you need more liquid because the cherries are bigger? That shouldn’t matter and adding more liquid won’t change the final fondant. Fondant is a candy. Candy is made when crystallized sugar is boiled to a certain temp. The higher the temp, the less water in the mix and the harder the candy. For fondant, the syrup is boiled to “soft ball” stage. That is, when the candy crystallizes it will still be pliable. Yes, invertase after cooking. If you’re not using the liquor, the cherries aren’t soaked in anything other than the syrup they came in. That soaking step is to infuse the cherries with Kirschwasser. When you process the fondant, it turns opaque because the sugar is crystallizing into teeny tiny crystals. It may not have crystallized properly if you added something other than what is in the recipe. If the fondant becomes too stiff after processing, that’s ok. Fondant will stiffen up as it cools and if you processed it until it cooled down quite a bit, that can happen. You can gently warm it (don’t let it become completely melted) until it’s pourable. That’s why the recipe instructs you to warm the fondant in 20 second increments in the microwave. You can even thin it down with a little corn syrup or water if it’s too thick to work with. But, less is more when thinning. Add just a few DROPS at a time. The reserved 2T cherry juice is used to flavor and color the fondant. Candy making is a bit finicky and can take some practice. Good luck.
Awesome Sauce, thank you for replying so quickly! I just found more cherries, 50% off, yay! Will apply these tips and let you know how it goes. Thank You!
Is it possible to omit the alcohol /invertase all together?
Yes, but the fondant won’t melt into a syrup.
Hello there! I just finished making the candy fondant portion so this question is more for next time (and other inexperienced fondant peoples 🙂 . After about 3 minutes it was definitely opaque and somewhat thickened but still straight up pourable. I set the food processor for about another minute and it was thickened to the point of needing to be shoved out with a spoon. Was this the correct consistency to aim for?
No, once it’s opaque but still pourable is when you want to stop. It will thicken as it cools. If you watch the video you can see when I stop the processor the fondant is a viscous liquid consistency.