Description
This fun and festive dessert recipe creates adorable Chocolate Cherry Mice using maraschino cherries, smooth milk chocolate, and almond Hershey’s Kisses. Perfect for holiday treats or parties, these bite-sized mice feature a soft sugar dough coating, dipped in rich chocolate, and decorated with almond ears and cute faces for a whimsical presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar sifted
Other Ingredients
- 20 ounces maraschino cherries with stems, well drained and dried
- 10 ounce milk chocolate melting wafers
- 30 milk chocolate almond Hershey’s Kisses unwrapped, for the heads
- Almond slices for the ears
- Black decorative icing for the eyes
- Red sugar pearls for the nose
Instructions
- Prepare baking trays: Line two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside to keep the mice from sticking during assembly and chilling.
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, combine softened butter, corn syrup, and almond extract. Using a hand mixer on medium speed, mix until smooth and fully combined. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar into the bowl, kneading together until a soft, flexible dough forms.
- Shape the cherry bodies: Pinch off approximately ½ tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball, then flatten into discs using the palms of your hands. Place a drained maraschino cherry in the center of the disc with the stem exposed and wrap the dough gently around it, forming a smooth ball without covering the stem.
- Chill the dough-covered cherries: Place the shaped cherries on the prepared trays and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill for 2 to 4 hours until the dough is firm to the touch.
- Melt the chocolate: While the dough chills, melt the milk chocolate wafers until smooth. This can be done in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments with stirring, or using a double boiler or candy melting pot over low heat.
- Dip the mice in chocolate: Holding each cherry by the stem, dip it entirely into the melted chocolate. Lay it on its side on the parchment-lined tray to set.
- Assemble the mouse heads: Before the chocolate sets, press the flat bottom of a milk chocolate almond Hershey’s Kiss onto the opposite side of the stem as the mouse’s head. Place two almond slices between the cherry body and the Kiss head to form ears.
- Decorate the faces: Use a toothpick or skewer to apply a small drop of melted chocolate onto the tip of the Kiss to attach a red sugar pearl for the nose. Then, use black decorative icing to dot two eyes onto the Kiss. Allow decorations to set.
- Chill until serving: Place the completed Chocolate Cherry Mice in the refrigerator until ready to serve, to keep them firm and fresh.
Notes
- Use premium chocolate melting wafers like Ghirardelli for best texture and flavor instead of typical candy melts.
- If dough is too sticky, add more powdered sugar or chill briefly to make handling easier.
- When melting chocolate in a microwave, heat in 30-second increments stirring in between to prevent burning.
- A candy melter or double boiler maintains smoothness and warmth of chocolate while dipping.
- You can substitute other flavors of Hershey Kisses, but make sure the chocolate head matches the body chocolate.
- Use candy eyeballs, chocolate drops, or black icing for the eyes as desired.
- Almond extract complements the almond Hershey Kisses well; vanilla or coconut extracts are good alternatives.
- Store leftover mice in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
- Let your feedback and review help improve this recipe for others!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mouse
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 35 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
