You can make anything better by dipping it in chocolate, right? When it comes to Valentine’s Day, I can’t think of anything I’d rather get than a box full of chocolate covered cherries. . . except maybe this chocolate covered cherry inspired FUDGE!
You can whip up a batch of this just in time for Valentine’s Day, or anytime you need to tell someone how much you love them. Even if that someone person is yourself. We could all use a little bit more self care, particularly if it comes in the form of delicious rich cherry fudge.
Cherry Fudge
The smooth cherry fudge with chunks of dried cherries and topped with dark chocolate is so addictive that I DO need to give some of it away lest I eat it all in one sitting. Talk about the perfect bite AND the perfect gift.
You don’t need to buy any fancy cherry liqueurs to make cherry fudge. I used my trusty one step trick for adding instant flavor to any treat–JELL-O mix.
Fudge with JELL-O
Don’t start thinking your homemade fudge is going to come out with the texture of JELL-O squares. All it does is imbibe each bite of fudge with fruity cherry flavor. The gelatin also gives the fudge a soft texture that’s firm enough to hold up when sliced but velvety enough to melt in your mouth.
Yum.
You could easily mix up the flavor of this fudge by using another JELL-O flavor, but the cherry fudge is my absolute favorite topped with a layer of rich dark chocolate.
I wanted a bit of texture and real cherry goodness in my fudge too, so I folded in dried cherries as well. Extra delicious!
How to Make Cherry Fudge
Contrary to what some people believe, you don’t need any special equipment or even a candy thermometer to make cherry fudge at home.
Here’s how I make this fudge recipe:
Melt butter with heavy cream, sugar and salt. Once it’s boiling, add the cherry JELL-O powder and let it cook for 5 minutes over heat.
Next, add a jar of marshmallow fluff and white chocolate to a bowl. Pour the boiled gelatin mixture in and stir. Use a strong whisk to beat everything together until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Now, fold in the dried cherries. Pour the cherry fudge mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper, then top with melted dark chocolate. Use a rubber spatula to help spread the chocolate evenly over the fudge.
Chill: Let the whole pan sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours until firm. If I have time, I like to keep it in the fridge overnight to set.
Cut it into squares, serve and enjoy!
Tips for Cherry Fudge
- Storage: You can keep this fudge in the fridge covered or in an airtight container at room temperature, as long as your house isn’t too warm.
- Cutting fudge: I find that slicing the fudge into squares just before serving helps ensure it maintains optimal texture. If you aren’t giving the fudge as a gift, cut just the number of squares you plan to eat right away. Use a sharp knife to get a smooth and even edge!
- Freezing: Like many of my homemade fudge recipes, your cherry fudge will also keep beautifully in the freezer. Freeze before or after cutting and then let the fudge thaw out at room temperature before eating.
- Mixing fudge: A strong whisk works well to beat together the fudge ingredients, but I have also been known to save a little bit of time and energy by using my stand mixer! Electric beaters are another great option for ensuring the white chocolate, marshmallow and butter mixture get well incorporated.
Variations
As I mentioned earlier, Fudge made with JELL-O is SO easy to adapt into different flavors! Strawberry flavored gelatin powder would be quite tasty in this recipe. Substitute dried strawberries for the cherries and you’ll have Chocolate Covered Strawberry fudge for Valentine’s Day, too!
The more fudge the better, so why not just make one batch of each?
More tips for making fudge
New to making homemade fudge from scratch?
Learn how to make fudge with my extensive guide, full of tips and tricks for making my favorite candy. I promise you that crafting your own perfect fudge at home is more than possible; it’s downright easy.
Make a batch of this extra special candy for someone extra special in your life.
Or just eat it all yourself. I wouldn’t blame you.
Homemade Cherry Fudge covered with dark chocolate is simply irresistible!
Cherry Fudge with Dark Chocolate
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups white chocolate chips
- 7 ounce jar Fluff marshmallow cream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- pinch salt
- 1 Tablespoon cherry flavored gelatin
- ½ cup dried cherries
- 10 ounce dark chocolate melted
Instructions
- In large saucepan, melt butter with sugar, cream and pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, set timer for 5 minutes and add in cherry gelatin.
- After 5 minutes remove from heat. In mixing bowl, add white chocolate and marshmallow cream. Pour hot mixture over this and beat with a whisk until smooth and creamy (and all chocolate is melted. Fold in dried cherries.
- Pour in a parchment paper lined 9-inch square pan. Pour melted dark chocolate over cherry fudge and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Notes
- Storage: You can keep this fudge in the fridge covered or in an airtight container at room temperature, as long as your house isn’t too warm.
- Cutting fudge: I find that slicing the fudge into squares just before serving helps ensure it maintains optimal texture. If you aren’t giving the fudge as a gift, cut just the number of squares you plan to eat right away. Use a sharp knife to get a smooth and even edge!
- Freezing: Like many of my homemade fudge recipes, your cherry fudge will also keep beautifully in the freezer. Freeze before or after cutting and then let the fudge thaw out at room temperature before eating.
- Mixing fudge: A strong whisk works well to beat together the fudge ingredients, but I have also been known to save a little bit of time and energy by using my stand mixer! Electric beaters are another great option for ensuring the white chocolate, marshmallow and butter mixture get well incorporated.
I am Allergic to Dairy and stuff How do I make it vegan.
I was so pumped to try this recipe – mine didn’t slice look as nice as yours. But that would be fine if I had liked it more. It’s just a bit too sweet for my liking – no one who tried it went back for more. It probably was just me and my mediocre culinary skills, but I won’t be making it again.
A basic ‘rule’ for all cooking:
If the taste is too sweet add a little salt. (Perhaps two pinches of salt?)
If the taste is too salty add a little sugar.
Remember to taste after each mixture of ingredients.
Made them yesterday for Valentine’s Day and they are WAYYYYYYY TOO SWEET! All I could taste was the white chocolate and the 1 cup of sugar used with a hint of cherry. I followed the recipe as it said and it didn’t really turn out as a fudge, more like a sugary dough. It was a disaster.
These fudge recipes all look lovely but I wonder if these candies can all be made using old time fudge making methods. It seems that every fudge recipe I click on these days calls for marshmallow cream! Pretty sure fudge makers didn’t have or use this stuff years ago! And I really don’t feel like going out and buying a $5 jar of marshmallow cream to dump it into a recipe…there must be a way…
I found this recipe and tried it, and had the butter separation issue that others have mentioned. Instead of dumping the whole thing, I put it all back into the saucepan and continued to cook it, and the butter reincorporated after several minutes. I am waiting to see if it sets up. It would be great to see the recipe revised to emphasize that you are boiling the mixture for five full minutes before *and* after adding the gelatin—or to explain that you need to cook to a certain temperature after adding the gelatin. This step was not as clear as it could be.
Wow – definitely should’ve read the comments first, this was an expensive disaster. Really wish the recipe had provided a temperature to cook the butter/sugar mixture to, and also specified using a stand mixer as opposed to a hand whisk.
Wish I would have read the comments first! What a waste! It is chunky and runny and the butter separated and I followed your recipe, it’s sticking to the whisk attachment and is just awful! Funny how you never responded to any of the people that had this same problem…super disappointed.
I’m sorry this happened to you. I make this version every year with no issues, I’m not sure what went wrong for you.
I made last night thought it would be great.I started pouring chocolate over fudge and it started sinking didn’t firm up after 4 he’s either so I left it over night .it is gory with dried chocolate throughout.I followed recipe to.what happened?
It sounds like maybe the mixture didn’t boil the full amount of time?
My daughter and I made this fudge today and I have to admit, we took a couple of shortcuts with excellent results. We used a handheld whisk the whole time. I hate dirtying extra bowls, so instead of pouring the hot syrup over the white chocolate and fluff – we just turned off the heat under the pot and started whisking in the chocolate a little bit at a time (we used Ghiraredlli white choc bars) and then the fluff, as well. I had my daughter whisking while I added the ingredients then I took over and gave it a really good beating until it looked glossy. I folded in the cherries with a rubber spatula and added some chopped walnuts. Once the candy had been poured into my parchment-lined pan, we gently placed two large dark chocolate bars right on top and popped it under the broiler for two minutes. The melted bars spread beautifully across the top of the cherry filling with an offset spatula.
I think next time I may add the teeniest bit of cherry extract and possibly a dot of red gel food coloring as I was looking for a deeper cherry flavor and didn’t get quite the pink color you did. It was still delicious, though!
I just made this this morning and it turned out perfectly!! I followed the recipe exactly and it’s gorgeous, velvety smooth and tasty!! I did leave off the dark chocolate b/c the cherry flavor is so delicate and I wanted that to shine. Thanks for a fun and pretty holiday switch-up to regular fudge!
You’re welcome!! Glad you enjoyed the fudge 🙂
I tried these this evening, and as happened to several others, mine separated and got very sticky, butter separating out. Reading through all the comments, I see that you actually use a stand mixer with whisk attachment–it would be very helpful if this was actually stated in the recipe, as I just threw out about $7 of ingredients. Doubt I will attempt this again, even with the mixer hint.
Oh My! These look amazing. I think that i will make them for Christmas. And eat them all! I haven’t seen somtehing that looks so delicious in ages!
These look amazing! Question: How much (in grams/oz) are 2 1/2 cups white chocolate?
Do you have to use an electric mixer? I only have a hand mixer.
A hand mixer will work just fine 🙂
Are the dried cherries the raisin like cherries or the candied ones you see in fruitcake?
I use the “raisin-like” dried cherries 🙂 Extra moisture can ruin the fudge, and I found those work perfect!
Is the cherry gelatin jell-o?
Yes it is 🙂
Would this work using silicone molds?
It would be alot of work to pour into individual molds. But it should work.
So, you are boiling it for the full 5mins?? I want to make this NOW, but don’t want to mess it up 🙂
Does this fudge work well at room temp. or does it have to stay refrigerated after it is set? I want to give it as part of our holiday cookie plate to friends & family. Btw, it is absolutely delicious!! I just had to sneak a few bites for myself.
Can I use regular maraschino cherries instead of the dried cherries? That’s all I have on hand….
The marachino’s would add a lot of excess moisture to your fudge and make the chocolate seize up. You could leave the dried cherries out and instead garnish the top of the fudge with a maraschino.