Cherry Mash Candy

I stumbled upon this recipe a few weeks ago and I'm so glad I did. This candy is so rich and delicious, if you take a batch to the office prepare to bring home an empty platter! The recipe I found called for cherry flavored frosting but I wanted to use real cherries.

This candy is perfect to make for Christmas or Valentines day.

To make this candy you will need:

2-1/2 bags powdered sugar (5 lbs)

1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)

1 jar of maraschino cherries (10 oz)

2 pounds melting chocolate for candy

vanilla, 1 tablespoon

1 cup pecans, chopped

2 sticks butter, softened

Remove the cherry stems and place cherries in a blender with the juice. Blend until liquefied. In a large mixing bowl blend together 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 2-1/2 bags (5 lbs) powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 2 sticks softened butter and liquified cherries. Mix well and cover the bowl with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

At this point, you could leave the filling in the fridge for a day or 2 until you want to dip the candy in chocolate.

I've discovered a foolproof way to melt the chocolate without overheating it.

You can purchase dark chocolate or milk chocolate- I went with the milk chocolate.

In a large crock pot, pour 4 cups water. Place a metal bowl in the crock pot and pour the chocolate discs in the bowl. Turn the crock pot on low heat. Stir occasionally until melted, then stir in 1 cup chopped pecans.

While the chocolate is melting, roll spoonfulls of the cherry filling into balls about 1" in diameter. Place them on a plate and freeze for 20-30 minutes.

Stick a toothpick in a frozen cherry ball and cover with chocolate. Set on wax paper. Repeat with remaining cherry filling.

When the candy has set, place in an airtight container.