Back some thirty-odd years ago, I was given a Christmas gift of Homemade Cherry Fudge along with the recipe. It was deliciously simple. Momentously good! And for the next few years, I extended the favor of making Cherry Fudge for family and friends.
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Good Fudge vs. Great Fudge
When it comes to cooking, I rarely can leave a good thing – good. It’s disturbing, you know? If greatness is possible, why not reach for the best?
And that’s what you have here. A good fudge recipe turned GREAT! I dare say, it is exceptional. Still as simple in the process as any classic fudge recipe. The greatness is in the quality of ingredients.
Reminiscent of Cherry Cordial type candies, the original recipe used Maraschino Cherries. Mid-century mass production took what was once a uniquely preserved, intensely flavored, quality cherry, to a shell stripped of all its natural greatness. Somehow they still taste ‘good,’ audaciously warming our hearts with memories of Grandma.
American Maraschino vs. Italian Amarena Cherries
Enter the small-batch produced, Amarena Cherry. Trader Joe’s describes theirs as ‘intensely flavored Italian Cherries for desserts, cocktails and cherry lovers.’
These Italian dark cherries are from the Bologna and Modena regions of Italy and are in a uniquely fantastic heavy syrup. Most importantly, these amazing cherries are still cherries!
Seasonally available at Trader Joe’s, they are currently approximately $4.00 a jar. RUN to your local TJ’s – they may still have a few in stock, and mark your calendars and pantry list to grab some Amarena Cherries next November/December! If you miss this deal, Amazon carries a few pricey brands here, and here.
I’d love to hear what you think about this sweet treat. We look forward to a taste of these Very Cherry Chocolate Fudge candies every year.
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Passive Time | 3-4 hours |
| Servings |
pieces
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- 24 ounces, Net Wt. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips good quality
- 2 14 oz. cans Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla
- 2 cups Amarena Cherries (a little less than 2 - 16.2 oz. jars), pitted, stemmed, and sliced into quarter pieces
- 1 cup Walnut pieces chopped medium small
Ingredients
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- Gather and prep all ingredients.
- Line a 9x13 squared edge baking pan with parchment paper. Make sure to leave an excess of paper for lifting the fudge. Set up a double boiler with hot water in the base section and place on medium heat, Add chocolate chips to the upper pot. Heat the water to a very soft simmer in the base pan. Begin carefully stirring the chocolate to aid melting and prevent scorching.
- Add the butter as you continue stirring. When the chocolate chips are nearly all melted, add in the sweetened condensed milk. Continue mixing with the stacked double boiler, but turn off the heat to prevent scorching. When well mixed, add the vanilla and combine.
- Next, fold in the sliced cherries.
- Gently, add the chopped walnuts.
- When all of the ingredients are well mixed together, use a rubber spatula to spoon out the fudge into the parchment paper-lined baking pan. Smooth out and level the fudge while it is still warm. Cover and place the fudge in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours, until fudge has completely set.
- Once set, lift the fudge out of the glass pan using the parchment paper to pull it out. Plan and pre-score your lines to cut the fudge into pieces. This step will help you test if your fudge has chilled enough to cut (if not, lift it back into the pan and chill a while longer).
- Cut fudge into the desired size pieces. With gentle determination and a bit of patience, carefully slide a wide blade knife between fudge and the parchment paper. Place individual pieces of fudge onto precut squares of clean parchment paper, or mini muffin liner cups.
- Tedious but well worth the effort, continue to work through the entire slab of fudge, packaging the pieces of candy in airtight gift bags or containers.
- Store in the frig, but bring to room temperature for serving. Enjoy!!
If walnuts are not your thing, feel free to leave them out. The cherries and the chocolate are the 'stars' with this recipe, and Oh, Baby(!), they are good!
Related Post: Sweet Treats To Make With Kids
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