Quick Vegan Chocolate Covered Cherries

Step 1 - Prep Cherries Strain and Drain 1 jar of cherries into a bowl. Do not throw the cherry liquid away - that is used for the fondant and you can put it back in the jar in the refrigerator to use for mixing into drinks or anything else you want it for. De-stem the cherries and check for bad / unusable cherries. Set all the good de-stemmed cherries on paper towels to dry while we move on to making the fondant covering.

Step 2 - Make the Fondant Start the fondant by adding Powdered Sugar, Coconut Oil, Cherry Liquid, Coconut Milk, and Kosher Salt into a mixing bowl. Use a silicone spatula to mix until it becomes crumbly then use your hands to knead and finish the fondant. The subtle heat from your hands will form the fondant into the right texture. If it is too dry after kneading, add small amounts of Coconut Milk and/or Cherry Liquid and knead again. If it is really sticky and/or wet, add more powdered sugar until it looks right. Do not put the fondant in the freezer or refrigerator at this point.

Step 3 - Coat Cherries in Fondant Pinch a small amount of fondant and just barely make a covering around the cherry. Make it as thin as you can without holes. If you make it too thick, it will be way too sweet when you eat them. Place cherries on a parchment paper lined sheet and pop in the freezer while you start tempering the chocolate.

Step 4 - Temper Chocolate In a double boiler (saucepan on medium-high heat half full of water with metal bowl on top for gentle heat) add Dark Chocolate Chunks, Vanilla Extract, Kosher Salt, and Coconut Milk. Turn down to medium to medium-low when chocolate is fully melted. This gives indirect heat and minimizes the chance the chocolate will separate. You can also use the microwave with a glass bowl 30 seconds at a time and mixing thoroughly each cycle until melted.

Step 5 - Coat with Chocolate Use a wire spoon, fork, or toothpick to dip the fondant-covered cherries in the chocolate, shake off the excess, and place on a parchment lined sheet pan. Save extra fondant and chocolate or make other desserts with the leftovers.