Super Easy Chocolate Cherries (vegan & refined sugar free)
You like the chocolate covered cherries you can sometimes at the supermarket or a fair? This is a quick and healthy version and equally yummy!
Chocolate Covered Cherries Recipe
It's cherry season here in Germany at the moment and they are incredibly cheap! I am thinking homemade cherry jam, cherry coffee cake, cherry smoothie bowl... but first, I present to you: The easiest vegan AND refined sugar free chocolate covered cherries!
I mean, who doesn't like chocolate covered fruit? Turns out, my husband doesn't! Can you believe it? The things you don't know about your spouse after so many years... I, on the other hand, have loved chocolate covered fruit for as long as I can remember. As kids, we used to only get them once a year at the Octoberfest (yup. I live in Munich, Germany so that's our annual festival!) and while there weren't any chocolate covered cherries, I absolutely adored chocolate covered bananas and strawberries. The usual suspects. Tell me, what are your favorite chocolate covered fruit? Or are you not a fan, like my husband?
So last weekend when all of a sudden I was alone for ONE WHOLE DAY (that pretty much happens like twice a year so I really relished it) I had lots of time to experiment with new recipes. That's when chocolate covered cherries popped into my mind! I had all the ingredients at hand and still had a few hours to spare. So when my family came home for supper, I had the cherries ready for them as a surprise desert!
They are super simple to make. Just make the chocolate "dipping sauce", wash the cherries, dip 'em and wait for a little bit. Bliss! Simple, quick and a crowd pleaser. My sister (who was happy to taste them for me) was immediately addicted to them and asked for more. So what are you waiting for? Make yourself some chocolate covered cherries! And let me know how you like them!
Now if you want the chocolate sauce to be thick like on the photos, you need a little patience (but in my opinion, it's totally worth it!) After mixing all the ingredients together, you have to put the sauce in the fridge for about 20 minutes and you're good to go.
Keep an eye on it though because any longer will make it too thick to use as a dip. If you cannot wait (or don't have time to wait), you can also just dip the cherries into the chocolate sauce straight away. However, the chocolate coating won't be very thick. Some people prefer it like that but personally, I love a thicker chocolate layer around fruit. So just go with what your preference is!
They also make a lovely cake decoration. When I made a birthday cake yesterday, I just added some on top and it made the cake even prettier!
I mean, look at the chocolate sauce drip! Basically, I just want to eat it with a spoon!
Psssst… I might be snacking on these yummy chocolate covered cherries right now even though it’s early morning. Don’t tell anyone!
Now, the serving size says 5 servings which means about 5 or 6 cherries per person. That is if you can stop yourself from eating them all up yourself. I cannot stop after 5 cherries but my husband is fine with one or two so it works out well. If your family are cherry and chocolate lovers, better double the recipe just in case.
Looking for more Sweet Snacks? I've got a ton to post soon!
You like the chocolate covered cherries you can sometimes at the supermarket or a fair? This is a quick and healthy version and equally yummy!
- 2 cups fresh cherries, with the stem (about 275g)
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder
- 6 tablespoons grated coconut
Melt the coconut oil in a pot and add it into a bowl together with the maple syrup and unsweetened cacao powder. Whisk until smooth.
It's easier to dip the cherries when the bowl is on the narrow side as you can achieve a "deeper dip".Wash your cherries and remember to leave the stems on (you will need them for dipping the cherries).
In the meantime, let the chocolate mixture rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't get too thick to use as a dip.
This will result in a thicker dipping sauce which will cling to the cherries in a better way. If the oil is still too warm, it won't stick to the cherries so well and most will run off again.Lay out parchment paper on a plate or a cutting board so you can move the cherries into the fridge easily afterwards.
Add the grated coconut to another bowl.
Dip each cherry into the chocolate mix individually (all the way to the stem) and then into the grated coconut mix.
Put the cherries on the parchment paper and once all cherries have been dipped, put the parchment covered board or plate in the fridge for at least 15 minutes until the chocolate around the cherries has hardened. Enjoy!
- Sweetness: the chocolate is not very sweet because I prefer dark chocolate with fruit as they bring a sweetness already. If you prefer a sweeter chocolate, feel free to add more maple syrup. You might have to experiment with more coconut oil though to result in the same chocolate texture.
- Maple syrup: I assume you could use other liquid sweeteners such as agave nectar, date syrup, rice syrup etc. I haven't tested it yet though.
- Cherries: make sure the cherries are dried after washing, otherwise the chocolate won't stick as well.
