I don't share recipes often here on the LVC blog but I do have a few favorites that I like to make.

One thing that I make every year for Christmas for my dad is homemade chocolate-covered cherries. 

My dad has always loved chocolate-covered cherries and one year during my single-mom, broke-on-my-ass, not-enough-money-for-Christmas-presents days I decided to try making him some homemade chocolate-covered cherries.

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It is best to make these at least a week before you want to eat them or gift them so the juice from the cherries has time to soften up the sugary coating.

This recipe is from More Joy of Microwaving cook book from 1988. I got the cookbook when it first came out!

How to Make Chocolate Covered Cherries

Place butter in a medium mixing bowl and microwave at 30% (medium low) for 15 to 45 seconds, or until softened, checking after every 15 seconds.

Once it has softened, add the powdered sugar and mix well. 

Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix well. The mixture will be stiff and should not be too sticky. You need to be able to roll it into balls.

The next steps are kind of messy so I like to gather up everything I'll need.

You'll need a cookie sheet covered with wax or parchment paper, the drained maraschino cherries, the powdered sugar mixture you just made, and a little bowl full of powdered sugar.

Dust your hands with powdered sugar so that the mixture doesn't stick to your fingers.

Place about 1 teaspoon of the sugar mixture into your hand and roll it into a ball. 

Place cherries on the cookie sheet and chill for 30 minutes.

While the cherries are chilling, you can get started making the chocolate mixture for dipping.

Break the chocolate up into squares and place in a 1-quart mixing bowl.

Add the shortening and microwave at 50% (medium) for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the mixture can be stirred smooth.

Dunk the chilled cherries in chocolate and lift them out using 2 forks. Place them back on the cookie sheet and chill for another 30 minutes. (If the chocolate mixture start to stiffen too soon, you can microwave chocolate at 50% power for 1 to 3 minutes, or until it is remelted.)

Dip the cherries in chocolate one more time and then let them cool covered loosely with wax paper until chocolate sets. Set aside in a cool place for 2 to 3 days to allow centers to soften.

The juice that is inside the cherries will seep out and soften the powdered sugar mixture to make the gooey centers that chocolate-covered cherries have!