Baking and making is my favorite part of the holiday season. I love to give home baked treats for gifts. Nothing brings an expression of joy like homemade food… even more when the food is cute, like this:
Along with the usual spread of traditional cookies, Aunt Hattie’s Date Nut Bars (a 150+ year old recipe), and whatever else I feel like making, we’ll throw in some fun foods like ice cream cones, and the chocolate covered cherry mice pictured above.
Everyone makes a fuss over these cherry mice each year, so we always make them. They’re a cute and affordable gift to make up in a pinch; or you can whip up a quick batch to bring into the company party or carry-in, these mice are a guaranteed conversation starter. They’re fun and easy to make, and the kids can help!
Collect the following:
- One or more jars of Maraschino Cherries – make sure you get the ones with stems.
- Melting chocolate or candy coating, and a melting container
- Hersheys Kisses or Hugs
- Plain M&Ms (alternate: sliced almond slivers)
- Small tube of decorating gel
- Waxed paper and a cookie sheet to set them on
You can use chocolate or white candy for dipping. I think the mice look cuter with the white chocolate Hersheys Hugs, if you can find them. This year, we could only find regular Kisses so we used brown chocolate for dipping.
Melt a few squares of the candy coating or bakers chocolate according to directions on the package. Start small, you can always add more; but be sure your melted candy is deep enough to dip the cherries.
Dip a Maraschino Cherry into the melted chocolate, leaving the stem exposed.
Pull the cherry out of the melted chocolate, and push an unwrapped Hershey’s Kiss onto the end opposite the stem, into the soft chocolate.
Lay flat onto waxed paper, making sure the cherry and the Hershey’s Kiss stay together. Add two M&M candies for the ears. You can also use sliced almond slivers, but I think the M&Ms are more fun, they look like little cartoon Christmas mice.
You can see where this is going… allow them to sit for a few minutes while the chocolate hardens.
Last step, add eyes and a nose using a small tube of decorating gel. You can also use melted white chocolate and a toothpick, if y0u want something that dries hard and doesn’t rub off as easily, or candy sprinkles, or whatever your creativity inspires you to use. Have fun with it!
Our tray of chocolate covered cherry mice is ready to go in the fridge. Chill until they’re ready to eat or be gifted; put in a covered container if they will be stored for more than a day.
While we’ve got the chocolate candy melted, and half a bag of M&Ms left over, we’ll break out a bag of Bugle corn snacks and make up some ice cream cones – another holiday favorite with the friends and family (thanks, Mom, for the idea).
No tutorial needed on this one, just dip, top and eat. But I get requests all the time for the “recipe.” If you want a how-to, please leave me a comment here, and I’ll pull one together before Christmas.
Enjoy!
