Brandy Soaked Chocolate Covered Cherries

by Don Kurzejeski
(Brumley, MO)

Question about Brandy soaked chocolate covered cherries and which chocolate is best to use for candy making.

My wife and I enjoy making "care packs" for our friends and family every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We hand make caramel and chocolate coated pretzels, cookies, fudge, divinity, and my hand rolled brandy soaked chocolate covered cherries.

Now my questions...

If you soak the cherries in Brandy for a week or so before making, do you still need to add the invert base to the fondant to get the reverse (liquify) reaction in a few days?

Also, which style (chips or solid) of Merckens chocolate would be best? I've always just kept them in the fridge but now know that's a no-no.

They just always seem soft and dull looking, so I guess I was not tempering the chocolate in the right way?

Can you suggest a way to retain the proper temp of the choc. while doing the work? is there a range?

Thanks for the great site and will always enjoy learning new and exciting things to make to "wow" my friends.

Hi Don,

Sounds like your friends are in for a real treat this holiday season! I'm a little bit jealous. :)

I haven't done it myself, but it is my understanding that if you do soak the cherries in the brandy, you won't have to use the invertase. The alcohol will create the same liquid center effect after the candy has set for about a week.

To solve the problem of tempering your chocolate, consider using the Wilbur Wafers at Candyland Crafts. They don't have to be tempered so you might find them much easier to work with.

If you do decide that you want to use the Merckens or other chocolate that you want to temper, some people have found it helpful to place the bowl of melted chocolate on a heating pad to keep the chocolate warm while working with it.

Another suggestion would be to place the bowl(s) in an electric frying pan (on low) to keep the chocolate warm.

Thanks for the lovely comments about the site. I'm thrilled to hear that you are enjoying it.

Do let us know how your candies come out. I'm sure they will be very much appreciated by your friends. We'd love some photos of your finished goodies.

Blessings,
Angie