This post is intended for readers 21+.
These little boozy dark chocolate covered cherries are perfect for parties, plus they are fun to make! And eat. Enjoy the warm bite of spiced rum, the sweetness of cherry, and the decadence of rich, dark chocolate. They are the perfect embellishment for holidays and special occasions!
Boozy Rum-Soaked Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries
Chocolate fans, cherry fans, and rum fans, rejoice!
The idea first came to me a couple of years ago when a friend and I were chatting about Fireball Cherries. (Cherries soaked in Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey.) She told me they were great to snack on at parties, and I've been wanting to try them. I still haven't tried one though, because I'm stuck on these amazing rum cherries!
I really like spiced rum, and I'm not the biggest fan of Fireball. Plus, I'm sorta obsessed with dark chocolate. "Self," I said, "How can I combine all of these things into a delightful treat?"
This is a VERY EASY recipe and easy to adapt to your own preferences - sampling is just a bonus! A word to the wise about equipment - you'll notice in the pictures I have a smaller mouth mason jar - do yourself a favor and use wide mouth jars. I've found that the wider mouth is much less annoying for just about every purpose I use a jar for!
Ingredients Needed to Make Boozy Chocolate Covered Cherries:
- Maraschino cherries with the stem - this became my favorite brand in 2024 (free from artificial coloring!)
- Spiced rum - my recommendations are Sailor Jerry or Kirkland Signature
- Dark chocolate (semisweet chocolate chips work well in a pinch!)
- A dab of shortening, butter, or 2024 recipe update and my new personal favorite touch COCONUT OIL! - optional
- Another update for 2024, Supernatural has become my go-to brand for sparkling decorative sugar due to their high-quality ingredients. And you can order them right on Amazon! Green, white, or red all look lovely around the holidays.
You could totally make this recipe using fresh bing cherries. If you do, pit them first. Sweet maraschino cherries are available year round since they are shelf stable and the sweetness balances with the rum nicely!
After they soak in rum for a couple of days, most of the sweetness is replaced with rum, so they aren't overly sweet in the end.
TIP: Drain the cherries, but reserve that cherry juice. Put it in a jar with a lid and keep it in the fridge. Great for making homemade cherry milkshakes. I've used it to flavor frosting, too. You can also use a splash in holiday cocktails.
You want the cherries to sit in the rum for at least 24 hours. We let ours go for 72 hours. The longer they chill the stronger they will taste of rum.
Other Boozy Recipes:
Orange + Spiced Rum Bread Pudding
Blackberry Mojitos
Whiskey Whipped Cream
How to Make Rum-Soaked Chocolate Covered Cherries
- Drain the cherries, reserving the juice for another purpose. It will not be used in this recipe but is great for cocktails and more.
- Place the cherries in a quart-sized mason jar or other container. Cover completely with spiced rum. Seal and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, up to 72 hours. The longer the cherries sit in the rum, the stronger they will taste.
- Next, drain the rum-soaked cherries. Keep this cherry-infused rum. It is SO good for cocktails. Place the cherries on layers of paper towels for 10 minutes. This step ensures that the chocolate cotaing will cling to the fruit.
- Line a tray or platter with parchment paper. Place the decorative sugar into a shallow dish or bowl.
- Melt the dark chocolate according to package directions. Use a small bowl that is deep enough to dip the cherries into. I used the Dark Chocolate Bada Bing Bada Boom from Chocolatey Chocolate, but I also use semisweet or dark chocolate chips regularly!
- TIP: I have found the easiest way to melt most chocolate is in a glass bowl in the microwave. I reduce the microwave power to 70% and melt it 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each time.
- If the chocolate is too thick, stir in about a teaspoon of coconut oil until melted and the chocolate is smooth.
- While the chocolate is warm, dip the cherries one at a time. First dip into the chocolate then into the sugar.
- Place the dipped cherries onto the prepared parchment. When done dipping all of the cherries, refrigerate until set.
The chocolate we used did not take long to set. It is designed for dipping and coating, which makes it a natural choicce for these chocolate covered cherries. If you use another brand, you may have to adjust your chilling time until you find what works best.
Aren't these Boozy Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries simply gorgeous!? Almost too pretty to eat... but only almost!
The addition of the festive colored sugar really makes them pop off of the platter and gives them a fun texture.
This recipe makes about 50 individual cherries. We used 40 ounces of cherries. The actual quantity will vary. Also, please note that the nutritional value includes ALL of the rum, even though all of it is not absorbed. So they are actually lower calorie than listed. Yay!
Tips + Ideas:
- Use cherries with stems. This makes them easier to dip and easier to eat. Plus the presentation is spectacular. If you want to use stemless cherries, you can dip them using a fork.
- Be sure the cherries are drained on paper towels when you remove them from the rum. You want them to be dry to the touch before dipping in the chocolate.
- PRO TIP: Save the leftover cherry infused rum for mixing in to cocktails!
- Pick a great quality spiced rum. Some spiced rums are overly sweet and take away from the true flavor of rum.
- You can make this recipe ahead of time. Just keep the cherries covered and chilled until ready to serve.
- Change the color of the sugar to match your holiday or event theme. (Gold for New Years', etc.)
- Not a fan of rum? Swap it out for flavored vodka (think vanilla, cinnamon, etc.) or even bourbon.
- Try these with white chocolate or milk chocolate if you want a slightly different flavor profile. The options are endless with what you can dip, flavor, and drizzle.
We hope you LOVE this fun twist on chocolate covered cherries and are inspired to try it! Let us know what you think in the comments at the end of this post. Be sure to check out more of our Christmas Ideas here.
Boozy Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries
Equipment
- wax or parchment paper
Ingredients
- 40 ounces maraschino cherries with stems, drained
- 1 ¾ cups spiced rum more or less to cover the cherries
- 1 ½ cups dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil, butter, or shortening optional, may not be needed
- ½ cup sanding sugar
Instructions
- Drain the cherries, reserving the juice for another purpose. It will not be used in this recipe but is great for cocktails and more.
- Place the cherries in a quart-sized mason jar or other container. Cover completely with spiced rum. Seal and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, up to 72 hours. The longer the cherries sit in the rum, the stronger they will taste.
- Next, drain the rum-soaked cherries. Keep this cherry-infused rum. It is SO good for cocktails. Place the cherries on layers of paper towels for 10 minutes. This step ensures that the chocolate coating will cling to the fruit.
- Line a tray or platter with parchment paper. Place the decorative sugar into a shallow dish or bowl.
- Melt the dark chocolate according to package directions. Use a small bowl that is deep enough to dip the cherries into.
- If the chocolate is too thick, stir in about a teaspoon of coconut oil until melted and the chocolate is smooth.
- While the chocolate is warm, dip the cherries one at a time. First dip into the chocolate then into the sugar.
- Place the dipped cherries onto the prepared parchment or wax paper. When done dipping all of the cherries, refrigerate until set.
Jerome Pokorny says
Have been making whiskey soaked cherries for years. You should completely cover the cherries and part of stem, that way the alcohol will not evaporate when you put them with the rest of snacks. Use a toothpick for those without stems. Also I soak my cherries for a year, changing the booze about half way thru the year.
Teri says
Great tips!! Wow, a year? I'm not going to lie, that sounds amazing. 🙂 I'm about to start a batch for this Christmas. I thought about doing some of the green ones in vodka this year to go with the red ones in rum.
Peg says
What do you do to the cherries before dipping them to ensure the chocolate sill stick?
Teri says
I drained them VERY well and patted them dry with a paper towel. And let them sit on paper towels for several minutes.
I'll make sure I add this note in the recipe and post. 🙂
Bianca says
Can you reveal your recipe please. It sounds amazing. What cherries ? and what alcohol? Thank you ?
Teri says
I used Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum. I do not recall the exact brand of maraschino cherries, but they were a good quality brand with the stem.
Kathy says
How do you get the creamy cherries filling in them
Teri says
These do not have the creamy filling. These are cherries that have been soaked in rum, patted dry, and dipped into chocolate.
Janet says
Wondering how long the finished cherries can be kept? Ive been making these for years but this year made way too many for valentines day bake sale. My cherries are completely covered unlike the ones shown, I found the booze leaked out if not completely covered.
Teri says
I had a few leftover and tossed them after about 5 days. I think they were still edible, they just start to look sad in my fridge after that long.