Chocolate-Covered Cherry Fudge: Fun And Fancy

(NAPSI)-Here's sweet news: This delicious dessert can be easy to make and elegant to serve.

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Fudge

20 maraschino cherries with stems

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips*

6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (or bittersweet chocolate chips)*

2 large eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons flour*

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt

1 teaspoon maraschino cherry juice

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Pat the cherries dry with paper towels and set aside. Generously spray an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray* or brush with oil.

In a small saucepan, combine the chocolates and cook over low heat until most of the chocolate is melted.

Stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt, and maraschino cherry juice. Add the melted chocolate and stir vigorously until the mixture is smooth and starts to thicken. Stir in the walnuts.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and press the cherries into the top, leaving the tops of the cherries and the stems showing.

Refrigerate for 2 hours or until hard. Cut into 20 squares. Makes 20 pieces of fudge

*Go gluten-free! Replace non-stick cooking spray with gluten-free nonstick. Substitute gluten-free chocolate chips and gluten-free dark chocolate where indicated. Replace flour with gluten-free flour. You can make it dairy-free with dairy-free chocolate.

Learn More You can find lots of great recipes-with a cherry on top-fom the National Cherry Growers and Industries Foundation at www.nationalcherries.com. For gluten-free advice and recipes, go to www.simplygluten-free.com.

Recipes and photos courtesy of Carol Kicinski, Professional Recipe Developer, TV Chef and Editor In Chief of Simply Gluten Free Magazine.