One of my favorite holiday candies is this one!
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 10 mins |
| Additional Time: | 40 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 1 9×13 inch pan |
Ingredients
- 2 cups white sugar
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk
- 1 ¼ cups miniature marshmallows
- ½ cup butter
- 1 dash salt
- 1 ¼ cups cherry baking chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup chunky peanut butter
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together sugar, milk, marshmallows, butter, and salt. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until mixture reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F (115 degrees C). Turn off heat. Add cherry chips and vanilla; stir until melted.
- Pour mixture into a well-greased 9×13 inch pan, and let cool until firm.
- In a microwave, or in a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips and peanut butter. Pour over cherry mixture and spread evenly. Allow to cool completely before cutting.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 558 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 72 g |
| Cholesterol | 24 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Sodium | 190 mg |
| Sugars | 54 g |
| Fat | 30 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Based on previous reviews I used 1Tbsp less butter but I probably use the amount the recipe calls for next time.
A Christmas favorite for our family! Yes, the cherry layer is softer (and sweeter) than the chocolate layer and the two layers can separate when you are cutting or eating it. But the cherry layer does set up if you make it as prepared. As a previous reviewer said, you should put the cherry layer in the refrigerator (or freezer) while you are making the chocolate layer. You can also keep the candy in the freezer, and it’s still soft enough to eat as soon as you remove it. The cherry layer can have a bit of a grainier texture with all that sugar, and if you don’t have a sweet tooth, you’ll definitely want to skip it! But this recipe is definitely going in with my other annual holiday treats!
Made this my whole life. Now that I live outside Nebraska, my wonderful aunts send me cherry chips annually so I make it. BOIL the cherry mixture for 5 minutes constantly. This is a must. I love this stuff! And everyone I serve it to LOVES it too. Enjoy!
The first time I attempted this, the cherry didn’t set up and was mushy. The second time, I waited till the sugar mixture was at a full boil, before timing it for 5 minutes. When I added the cherry chips, the whole thing turned into a big ball. I had to mash it out to the sides and corners, but because it hardened so fast, it wasn’t well mixed, so it was very streaky. It became so hard I had to break it on the edge of the counter. The third time, I used a candy thermometer. I planned to boil it to “soft ball” but I couldn’t quite get it that high. Maybe if I had given it another minute or so, it would have been better, but I was afraid of making another brick. Anyway, the cherry set up a little better than the first try; enough to roll and dip bite-sized pieces, but not enough to cut. I can’t figure out why I couldn’t make it work, but I think three attempts in 4 days, is quite enough.
Easy, tastes great and best of all I don’t have to wait till winter to have them sent to me from St. Joe Mo where the factory is. Thanks for sharing.
Exactly what I was looking for. You have to boil it to soft ball stage…the directions seem to have been written by someone who is good at eyeballing “doneness”…I am not, so I used my candy thermometer. It’s pretty close to 5 min of rolling boil.
Its great. Refrigerator to harden. I roll cherry mixture in balls and dip in the choc mixture–makes individual pieces…
I’ve search for years for my Grandmas cherry mash recipe and this is the closest I’ve come to duplicating hers. My family loves it. I have used a small scoop to form balls with the cherry mash and dipped in the chocolate mixture. This takes a bit longer but well worth it.
This recipe is good, but I added chopped peanuts. Just added them to the chocolate/peanut butter topping, and it is perfect!
I made this the first time as the recipe called but the cherry layer did not set. I made it again yesterday and had real success! Here are the changes: only 4 T. Butter (half what the recipe calls) and 2 cups mini marshmallows. Enjoy it!
I make this every Christmas. It’s one of our favorites and I’ve never had a problem with the cherry layer not setting up. The trick is to refrigerate the cherry layer while you are melting the chocolate and peanut butter (I use creamy pb and add a small pkg of nut topping). It doesn’t have to be completely set up when you pour on the chocolate mixture. Return to fridge til it hardens. Comes out perfect every time! Yum!
I’d never made these before so I followed the recipe to a tee. The cherry part on the bottom of the pan never did set up firm. It did set up well enough that I was able to pour the chocolate on top but when I went to cut it it was an ooeey gooey mess. I now have the pan in the fridge hoping for a miracle. Otherwise people will have to eat this mess off of the spatual when they scoop it out of the pan cause they are way too gooey to hold in your hands! Next time I’ll follow the soft ball boiling stage that everyone is talking about. They do taste exactly like the cherry mash candy I loved as a kid!
First, I used double the chocolate chips and peanut butter. This is how I did it: I melted chocolate chips and peanut butter and spread this into a sprayed pan. Let set. Then I cooked butter, sugar, and milk until soft ball forms. Removed from heat. Add marshmallows, salt, vanilla, and cherry chips. Stirring until all marshmallows and chips are dissolved. Spread this on top of set peanut butter mixture. Then I melted more chocolate chips and peanut butter in microwave. Then I spread this on top of cherry chip mixture. This is like a Cherry Mash Candy Bar. It was delicious…
I made this recipe many years ago and only could find half of it in my old recipe box so was happy to find it in allrecipes. When ever i use to make it i never found anyone who didnt love it. I like to make several different cookies and candies this time of year and glad i will be all to add this old favorite again to my list. i hightly recommend anyone to try it. Thanks
Yes, as other comments have noted, 5 minutes of simmer is not correct. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. I looked at some other versions and they called for boiling so that is what I did. They turned out fine. I would also maybe put them in a 9 inch pan next time rather than a 9×13 and halve the chocolate topping. They were very thin. I would make them again and probably leave out the peanuts or even the chocolate as well. The cherry fudge layer was much better than I had expected. I made it for a lady at work who had requested it and I expected it to be disgustingly sweet. Turned out pretty good though.
NOT cool. A good rendition of this would be: *Don’t use a pan. The cherry layer WILL NOT set up. I had to take off the top chocolate layer, re-heat it, and make little balls of chocolate filled with the VERY STICKY middle. It was a mess. SUCH a mess.
I’m making this right now, the cherry layer is cooling. I have a feeling it’s also not going to set up. As I was simmering the stuff I had a feeling it should be cooked to a certain “ball stage”, wish I would have gone with my instincts. I’ll be really upset if it doesn’t totally set up.
I had the same problem, the candy didnt get hard..but I dont think I cooked it long enough….tastes great though !
HELP!!!! I made this and it was very gooey. (Tastes great) What did I do wrong.
My favorite candy! If you’re not from the midwest you may not be familiar with this one. It’s very sweet and a nice addition to a candy plate at Christmas.