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1 cup red or green maraschino cherries, drained well
1 egg
1 cup icing sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup finely chopped pitted dates
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
450 g semi-sweet chocolate, about 16 squares
1/4 cup butter
Finely chop cherries, then pat dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, whisk egg. Gradually whisk in sugar until evenly mixed. Using a wooden spoon, stir in peanut butter until well mixed. Then stir in pecans, dates, coconut and cherries until evenly distributed. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Pinch off about 1 tsp (5 mL) mixture and roll into a ball. Place on baking sheet. Continue with remaining mixture. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
Coarsely chop chocolate and place in a small bowl with butter. Microwave on medium, stirring halfway through, until chocolate is almost melted, 2 to 3 min. Then stir until smooth. Remove balls from refrigerator. Poke a fork or wooden skewer into a ball. Dip into melted chocolate to completely coat, then lightly tap fork on edge of bowl to remove excess. Place ball on parchment.
Repeat with remaining balls. Refrigerate until chocolate sets, at least 1 hour, before serving or storing. If making ahead, place balls in a sealed container and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 2 months.
Calories 62, Protein 1g, Carbohydrates 7g, Fat 4g.
Michele Iwanus: registered nurse and mom of three, Bawlf, Alta., Finalist, Holiday Cookie Contest. These chocolate-cherry confections are perfect for family collaboration: As boys, Michele Iwanus's sons loved getting their hands sticky rolling out the balls, and now her young stepdaughter has mastered the art of the chocolate dip. Little wonder this no-bake recipe has been passed down through three generations: Michele's grandmother, Marjorie McDowell, first shared it with Michele's mother, Kathleen McDowell, in 1974, and now Michele consults a recipe card written in Kathleen's hand. Every year, Michele makes a big batch for her cookie exchange.