Chocolate balls with cherry centers

6 servings

Quantity Ingredient
50 Whole candied cherries
¾ cup Cherry brandy (more may be necessary)
½ pounds Sweet milk chocolate, broken into pieces
¼ pounds Unsweetened baking chocolate, broken into pieces
1⅓ cup Powdered sugar
⅞ cup Butter, softened
3 tablespoons Unsweetened cocoa
Powdered sugar
Unsweetened cocoa

Soak the cherries in the brandy overnight or longer. Drain the cherries, reserve the brandy.

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer. In a double boiler, melt the chocolates. Spoon the melted chocolate, spoon by spoon, into the butter and sugar mixture and mix thoroughly by hand.

Add reserved brandy to sugar and chocolate mixture and stir by hand until all is absorbed. Add 3 T. cocoa and mix by hand.

Put mixture in the freezer and thoroughly chill. Prepare a surface to assemble the balls. Mix equal amounts of cocoa and powdered sugar, about ⅓ cup each. On a piece of waxed paper, heavily dust with the cocoa powdered sugar mixture. Remove the chocolate from the freezer when it is chilled and stiff. For each cherry, spoon out a heaping teaspoon of the chocolate and drop on dusted paper. Dip your fingers into the cocoa/sugar mixture and flatten chocolate to a small pancake. Place a cherry in the center and fold chocolate around it.

Gently roll the ball between your palms to form and finish by rolling the ball in the cocoa/sugar mixture. Repeat for each cherry. If the chocolate mixture softens, return to the freezer to firm up.

Place the completed balls in a container with a lid and store in the frig.

These balls are dense and heavy with a rich chocolate flavor. For a lighter flavor, I suggest you omit the unsweetened baking chocolate and add ¼ lb. more milk chocolate.

Licking your fingers is not permitted during the assembly, but manditory after you are done. (grin)

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