Liquored cherries dipped in chocolate, great for Valentine´s or just to show your beloved how much (s)he means to you!

You need TIME. So think waaay in advance when making these, at least ten days for preparing them (better 15) After they are done you can keep the cherries for about a week (they never last that long here!)

Step 1: Ingredients

You will need;
Fresh cherries, as many as you think you will need, this time I used about 20
A bottle of white rum (half for the cherries half for the cook)
Dark chocolate for dipping. I used Callebaut´s but any good quality one will do. The darker, the better. One cup.
Cellophane paper in pink and red, cut into squares about 3" per side.
Ribbon...
Some kind of container(s) tins, boxes, whatever catches your fancy
Shreded pink tissue paper (china) hearts, confetti....

Step 2: Putting the Cherries in the Rum and TIME...

Use a jar with a wide mouth, I try to leave the stems as they look nicer but this is entirely optional.
Put as many cherries as can fit and fill the jar with the rum, right about now you can ahve either a mojito or a rum&coke whatever gladdens your heart!

Leave the cherries undisturbed for ten to fifteen days in a dark place, under the sink maybe?

When you see them next they will look pale and the rum will be dark and fragant! do not worry the cherries somehow get their color back when dry

Step 3: Gathering Your Stuff

Remember the tins or boxes, the smaller the better, more than six is too much, but then... who can measure love?

Ribbons, shredded paper, I used pink... ;) and th cellophane paper, red goes underneath and pink in the outside...

Chocolate, two pans the better to melt it, and either a silicone pad or waxed paper to put you creations to dry

Step 4: Drying and Dipping

Dry the cherries, put them in a strainer and do NOT lose the liquid! you will drink it hehehe...

On your stovetop put a small pot w/water (about a third) to boil... on that put another bowl w/the chocolate pieces... the water must NO repeat NOT touch the upper pot, you want a "bain marie" so only the steam, and a light one at that, melt the chocolate... if the weather is too hot you may need a doble bath just the same but with cold water, some ice may help, SOME not a lot, the LOT or MUCHO ice is for the rum!

Now DIP each cherry and sort of swish it around until it is well covered with chocolate. Put them to dry on your silpad or waxedpaper and WAIT...

Step 5: Wrapping

Let them get hard... not too much it depends on your weather, here it is awfully hot so I pop them in the fridge for no more than 5 minutes FIVE, more and they may turn whitishhh ugghh!

after they rest a little wrap them up! pink paper square, red paper square chocolate, close them... tie them up with a piece or ribbon

and

VOILÀ

Step 6: Finish Up!

Put some shredded paper and maybe some confetti in your desired rin or box, put your creations in, add a card, some more paper...

THAT´S IT!!

HOPE YOU´LL LIKE THEM

(I´m sure I did)