These chocolate covered cherries were my grandma's signature treat to make and gift around the holidays. I made them on my own for the first time last Christmas in her memory. My grandparents had a summer cabin on Moose Lake for over 60 years, first on Bonnyville Beach and then in Pelican Narrows. The Pelican Narrows cabin was made from a war barracks kit that my grandpa assembled on the lot himself. The exterior was dark red with black detailing. It had an outhouse toilet and was outfitted with odds and sods of cast-off furniture, which was great because nothing was too precious. You didn't worry too much about a still damp bathing suit or the sand between your toes. It was small, but welcomed many people. No need to knock, will that be red or white homemade wine? My grandma's maiden name was Belland, and my grandpa's last name was Lamoureux, so they combined the two and christened their cabin 'Bel Amour,' French for 'Beautiful Love.' Clearly they started the name-mashup trend to label celebrity couples. (You're welcome, Kimye.)

(photo credit: Linda Lamoureux)

Bel Amour Chocolate Covered Cherries

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Category

Candy

Author:

Henriette Lamoureux

My grandmother's signature treat. 

Ingredients

• 2 jars stemmed maraschino cherries

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter (do not use natural peanut butter)

• I cup icing sugar

• 1 cup pecans*

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1/4 bar paraffin wax**

Directions

1. Combine peanut butter, icing sugar, pecans, and butter in a food processor until well blended. (If you do not have a food processor, finely chop pecans and blend the ingredients by hand.) Refrigerate the mixture until firm.  

2. Wrap the chilled dough around a well-drained maraschino cherry. When these are done, I put them in the freezer until set. They dip better. 

3. Melt chocolate and paraffin wax in a double boiler over hot (not boiling) water. Dip cherries in chocolate, place on tray and allow to cool. Best stored in the fridge or freezer. 

Recipe Note

Cherries with stems on can be hard to find, but often grocers will bring them in if you ask. These can be made without stemmed cherries, just use a skewer to dip the cherries.

*There are 2 version of this recipe floating around the family. One calls for 1 cup of pecans, and the other calls for 1/2 cup of pecans. Both version work, use whichever once suits your ingredients and taste. These treats freeze very well and are best kept in the fridge.

**Adding paraffin wax to melted chocolate gives it a glossy finish when it hardens. It also helps the chocolate remain solid at room temperature. (source) I did not have it and couldn't easily find it, so I left it out and the recipe still works. 

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