Description
Chocolate Cherry Mice are delightful bite-sized treats featuring maraschino cherries wrapped in a sweet almond-flavored dough, dipped in smooth milk chocolate, and decorated with Hershey's Kisses heads, almond slice ears, and cute faces made with icing and sugar pearls. Perfect for festive occasions or fun party snacks.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough and Filling
- 20 ounces maraschino cherries with stems, well drained and dried
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
Chocolate Coating and Decoration
- 10 ounce milk chocolate melting wafers
- 30 milk chocolate almond Hershey’s Kisses, unwrapped, for the heads
- Almond slices for the ears
- Black decorative icing for the eyes
- Red sugar pearls for the nose
Instructions
- Prepare the trays: Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside to keep your creations from sticking.
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, corn syrup, and almond extract. Use a hand mixer on medium speed to mix until smooth and fully combined.
- Add powdered sugar: Gradually add sifted powdered sugar into the bowl, kneading together with your hands or a spatula until a soft, pliable dough forms.
- Form dough discs: Pinch off approximately ½ tablespoon of dough at a time, roll into balls, then flatten each ball between your palms to form small discs.
- Wrap cherries: Place a maraschino cherry in the center of a dough disc, keeping the stem exposed, then wrap the dough around the cherry to encase it gently.
- Smooth dough: Roll each dough-covered cherry gently in your palms to smooth the surface, taking care not to break off the stem. Place each onto prepared baking sheets as you finish.
- Chill the dough-covered cherries: Transfer the trays to the refrigerator and chill until firm, about 4 hours for the best consistency.
- Melt chocolate: Once firm, melt the milk chocolate wafers until smooth. You can use the microwave in 30-second increments stirring between, a double boiler, or a candy melting pot on low heat.
- Dip cherries: Holding each cherry by the stem, dip it fully into the melted chocolate, then lay it on its side on the prepared baking sheet.
- Attach heads and ears: Before the chocolate sets, press the bottom of a Hershey’s Kiss onto the side opposite the stem to form the mouse’s head. Then, place two almond slices between the cherry body and the Kiss head to form ears.
- Decorate faces: Using a toothpick or skewer, apply a tiny bit of melted chocolate to the tip of the Kiss and attach a red sugar pearl for the nose. Use black decorative icing to dot two eyes on each Kiss to complete the mouse face.
- Chill and serve: Repeat for all cherries, then refrigerate until ready to serve. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
- Use premium Ghirardelli melting wafers (milk or dark chocolate) for best texture and flavor; avoid candy melts.
- Dough should be soft and workable—add more powdered sugar if sticky or chill briefly to handle.
- If melting chocolate in the microwave, use a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second increments, stirring well to prevent burning.
- A candy melter or double boiler keeps chocolate smooth and warm while dipping cherries.
- You can substitute the Hershey’s Kisses with any flavor as long as the head chocolate matches the dipped bodies.
- Candy eyeballs, chocolate drops, or black icing can be used for eyes as alternatives.
- Almond extract pairs well with almond Kisses; vanilla or coconut extracts are good substitutes.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 weeks to maintain freshness.
- Let the chocolate set fully before serving for neat and sturdy treats.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mouse
- Calories: 110 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 20 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
