Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Fudge

I am now the designated fudge maker in the family, which is something that I am not terribly sad about. I sure do miss my Dad, and I certainly won’t make as many types of fudge and candies that he did, but I enjoy trying new fudge recipes. I have four new recipes to try, and I will likely make some classics, too.

I love anything with cherries, so I knew this would be great. It’s a combination of halved maraschino cherries and Amaretto liqueur, and cherries pair so will with almond flavors. The method of this fudge is quite different, where you mix the sugar, chocolate, and marshmallows and then whisk in the powdered sugar and Amaretto at the end. Different, but it seemed to work well!

I made sure to prepare everything in advance, as once you get started this fudge comes together quickly. The butter and milk will foam and froth, so make sure your pan is sufficiently large, don’t try to get away with a smaller pan! This fudge has a lovely milk chocolate and almond flavor. I found the fudge to be ever so slightly crumbly when I cut it, but I think that may be because the cherries were quite large. I cut them in half, but I think it would have been better to cut them smaller. I would make this again, as the flavor is fantastic, but next time I will cut the cherries up more.

Chocolate Cherry Amaretto Fudge
1 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons Amaretto
2-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
13 large marshmallows, torn in half
1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup maraschino cherries, cut in half (or smaller) and dried with a paper towel

Line a 9” square pan with foil, spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and Amaretto; set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, and milk. Over medium-high heat, bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling for three minutes, again stirring constantly, and then remove from the heat.

Add the vanilla, marshmallows, and chocolate chips to the saucepan and stir until the marshmallows and chips have melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the powdered sugar/Amaretto mixture until smooth, then fold in the halved cherries. 

Transfer the mixture to the 9” pan, smoothing the top. Refrigerate the fudge until fully chilled and set.

To serve, remove the fudge from the pan and peel away the foil. Cut into 1” squares. Store in the refrigerator. 

Recipe from The Kitchen is My Playground