Almond-Stuffed Chocolate Covered Cherries

The only thing shorter than summer is cherry season! (And the jean shorts teenagers are wearing these days. Holy buckets, bring back the Bermuda shorts of yesteryear!)

Anyway, please tell me I’m not the only one who has walked into the grocery store sometime over the past couple of weeks and broken out into a huge smile at the sight of sweet cherries filling the produce section? If peaches are the sunset to summer, cherries are the sunrise. The kickoff, if you will, to months of having healthy, freshly-picked produce at our fingertips.

Now, try as I might, I’ve never fallen into the “fruit counts as dessert” category because the last time I checked, apples don’t taste like Snickers. One fruit I do find very satisfying though is sweet cherries, and I’m always happy to sit down with a big bowl of them to enjoy on summer evenings. That said, I couldn’t help but wonder how much better said cherries would be if I stuffed them with whole almonds before dipping into chocolate. Bing, bing– I mean ding (sorry, had to) we have a winner! And we’re definitely getting closer to that Snickers bar, hahaha.

Almond-Stuffed Chocolate Covered Cherries are easy and healthy, yet totally decadent tasting. Promise me you’ll give this 3-ingredient dessert recipe a try before cherry season sees it’s way out?

This recipe is the latest in my years-long partnership with Fisher Nuts. Fisher Nuts are not only preservative-free, but come in a resealable package to keep them fresher, longer. Plus, raise your hand if you’ve ever had a non resealable package of nuts explode in your pantry. DISASTER!!!

Anyway, here’s what you need to know about Almond-Stuffed Chocolate Covered Cherries:

• They’re easy. Pit cherries, stuff the hole with a whole Fisher almond, then dunk into melted chocolate and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Boom.
• Dark chocolate + almonds = yum. Cherries + dark chocolate = amazing. Dark chocolate + cherries + almonds = insane!
• Antioxidants! Yep, all three ingredients in this recipe are packed with ’em!
• They’re perfect for entertaining. Serve as a happy hour snack on the patio, bring out after a BBQ, or pair with a glass of bubbles with your girlfriends.
• No heat required. Aside from the microwave (which I’m giving a pass to because it doesn’t heat up the house) this dessert recipe is no-bake making it ideal for summer.

Finally, they are totally addicting – don’t say I didn’t warn you!

As I mentioned, this recipe is sponsored by Fisher Nuts and I used their Whole Natural Almonds to stuff inside each fresh cherry. They fit perfectly!

All you do is pit 8oz fresh cherries with stems (28-30 cherries) through the sides versus the top, to leave the stems intact. Next insert 1 almond inside where the pit used to be. You’ll need ~1/3 cup whole almonds total. Here’s the cherry pitter I use and love!

Place the almond-stuffed cherries on a kitchen towel or paper towels then gently pat them very dry. This is important as the melted chocolate won’t stick to cherries that are wet with water from washing, or cherry juice from pitting.

Next melt 1 cup (6oz) dark chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring between increments, until smooth. I used Enjoy Life chocolate chips so Lincoln could eat these cherries, since they’re dairy-free/vegan, plus the only ingredients are chocolate and sugar. Love that!!

Next, dunk each cherry into the melted chocolate. If the stem is strong, give the cherry a little spin to get rid of excess chocolate. Note: I ended up transferring the melted chocolate into a microwave-safe mug which made it super easy to dunk the cherries into because of the high sides, which kept the chocolate level high. Either the bowl or a mug will work though!

Place the almond-stuffed chocolate covered cherries onto a silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet then refrigerate until the chocolate has set, about 10 minutes.

When you’re ready to enjoy, peel the cherries off the sheet pan then devour! I hope you love this easy, summery treat – and are able to enjoy them before cherry season disappears for the year!

Almond-Stuffed Chocolate Covered Cherries

• Print
• Pin It

dairy freegluten freeveganvegetarian

Description

Almond-Stuffed Chocolate Covered Cherries is a simple, 3 ingredient, gluten-free dessert recipe that's ready in minutes!

Ingredients

makes 28-30 cherries

• 8oz sweet cherries with stems
• 1/3 cup Fisher Whole Natural Almonds
• 1 cup (6oz) dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. Pit cherries through the sides versus the top, leaving the stems intact. Stuff each cherry with one almond then gently pat the stuffed cherries very dry with kitchen or paper towels - chocolate will slide off the cherries if they are wet.
2. Add chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl then microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between increments, until the chocolate is smooth. Transfer melted chocolate to a microwave safe mug for easy dipping (or leave it in the bowl - up to you!)
3. Holding the stuffed cherries by the stem, dip into the melted chocolate. Scrape any excess off the bottom then place cherries on a silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes, then serve.

Notes

• Here's the cherry pitter I use and love!

This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.