Grand Marnier Marzipan Cherry Chocolates
Add in a dollop of citrus scented liquor and I had the makings for very fancy handcrafted bonbons, the very sexy Grand Marnier Marzipan Cherry Chocolates, a surprisingly easy to make chocolate and marzipan treat with a luscious surprise cherry heart that tastes amazing and looks seriously out of this world! A special 'from the heart' treat for a special Valentine!
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 24 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 8.8 oz marzipan 250g
- 2 tsp Grand Marnier liquor
- 24 maraschino cherries
- 2-3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 7 oz 70% dark chocolate 200g
- 2 tbsp pistachios, finely chopped
Instructions
- 1
Put marzipan and liquor in bowl and knead together. Add 2-3 tbsp of sugar, one tablespoon at a time until the marzipan is no longer sticky.
- 2
Roll marzipan into a long log shape and divide into 24 equal portions.
- 3
Pour the cherries into a strainer to drain juices. Use kitchen paper to dry the cherries as much as possible, the dryer the better.
- 4
On a dry working surface shake out some of the 1/4 cup of powdered sugar to one side. Take each portion of marzipan and flatten to a 1 1/2 inch circle. Dust with powdered sugar if the marzipan gets sticky.
- 5
Place cherry in center and mold the marzipan around cherry to form a perfect sphere. Dust with powdered sugar and place to the side.
- 6
Repeat for all other cherries.
- 7
Temper the chocolate: Chop chocolate into small pieces. Add two thirds of chocolate into a bain marie, or double boiler, and stir until melted and the temperature reaches 115-120°F (46-49°C), being careful to not get even a drop of water in the chocolate.
- 8
Immediately remove from heat and add in the remaining one third of chocolate. Stir until the temperature reaches 88-90°F (31-32°C). At this point the chocolate is in temper.
- 9
Use immediately by dropping each marzipan ball in chocolate until completely covered. Lift out with a fork and slide onto a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone sheet.
- 10
Sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
- 11
Repeat with all other marzipan balls, trying to work quickly. If too much time passes the chocolate will cool down and fall out of temper. Place your chocolate filled pan over the hot water left in your double boiler pan and let residual heat gently heat chocolate back up to the 88-90°F (31-32°C). Continue with chocolate coating. Properly tempered chocolate should set up in about 5 mins.