Chocolate-Covered Cherries

Ingredients

• 60 maraschino cherries with stems (about three 10-ounce jars)
• 3 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 pound chocolate-flavored confectioners' coating

Instructions

1. Drain cherries thoroughly on paper towels for several hours. Combine margarine and corn syrup up. Stir in powdered sugar; knead mixture till smooth (chill if too soft to handle).
2. Shape about 1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar mixture around each cherry. Place coated cherries upright on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper; chill about 1 hour or till firm (do not chill too long or sugar mixture will begin to dissolve). Melt confectioners' coating (see tip, opposite). Holding cherries by stems, dip into coating. (Be sure to completely seal cherries in coating to prevent cherry juice from leaking.) Let excess coating drip off cherries. Place cherries, stem side up, on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper.
3. Chill till coating is firm. Store in refrigerator in a tightly covered container. Let candies ripen in refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks before serving. (Ripening allows powdered sugar mixture around cherries to soften and liquefy.)