Cherry cordials are a sweet treat made by enclosing a preserved cherry in a chocolate shell. The cherry is preserved in a cordial, sweet liqueur, or sugar syrup. They are common during the holiday season and can be made at home with candy molds. “Cordial” can also refer to a type of fruit liqueur.
A cherry cordial is a sweet treat made by enclosing a preserved cherry inside a chocolate shell. The cherry is typically preserved in a cordial, sweet liqueur, or sugar syrup for a non-alcoholic version, and the result is a very sweet treat with a slight bite from the alcohol. Numerous other fruits can be used to make cordials, although cherries remain particularly popular and the chocolate shell can be made with milk, dark or white chocolate, depending on the taste of the confectioner.
The liqueur used within the cherry syrup filling is made from whole chopped cherries that can be steeped in a sugar syrup with rubbing alcohol and then strained. The result is a very thick, syrupy alcohol with a strong cherry flavor, courtesy of chopped fruit and nuts. The cherries are preserved in the liqueur by halving them, pitted, and heated briefly in the alcoholic blend before being stored in cans or jars for use in cherry cordials. Alternatively, halved and pitted cherries can be cooked in sugar syrup and jarred for an alcohol-free version of cherry syrups.
These chocolates are especially common during the holiday season, with many markets carrying a range around December. They can be given as gifts or presented at parties with other desserts, and people can pair cherry cordials with brandy or another alcohol as an after-dinner treat. Beyond the holiday season, cherry cordial can sometimes be difficult to find in some regions of the world.
Cooks can make cherry cordials at home, assuming they have access to candy molds. Making cherry syrups will require a supply of canned or syrupy cherries and chocolate suitable for candy making. The chocolate is melted and carefully brushed into the molds in layers to create a shell, and the shells are filled with a single cherry each, along with a dollop of syrup and topped with a layer of melted chocolate which will seal to create a closed confection.
The term “cordial” is also used specifically to refer to a family of fruit liqueurs made from chopped fruit, sugar syrup, and fortified alcohol. Accordingly, “cherry cordial” can mean both a filled chocolate and a type of alcoholic drink. The drink is usually too sweet and intense to be consumed in large quantities and may be offered with a number of cordials before or after dinner so people can try a small taste. Cherry hot can also be mixed into various mixed drinks.
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