Or a chair of bowlies if you're a Mary Engelbreit fan.
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Truth is, life isn't always a bowl of cherries. There are good days and bad days, so sometimes it's nice to come home and whip up a quick, sweet treat at the end of the day to take the edge off. Of course, you could pour yourself a glass of wine first -- because that might take the edge off too.
This simple dessert of cherries, chocolate, and almonds, one of my favorite combinations, was inspired by a recipe in Whole Living for some chocolate-dipped cherries. The June issue features a couple pages of cherry recipes and some nutrition information about cherries -- like that they have flavonoids that could protect against cancer and improve heart and brain function and that just a 1-cup serving of cherries has 3 grams of fiber. (And since we know dark chocolate and almonds have antioxidants, that means this little dessert is actually good for you!)
As I was flipping through and checking out the recipes, I realized that as much as I love cherries, I don't ever do much with them besides just eat them. And I also realized that as soon as I saw these cherry recipes, I began to crave cherries. So much so that I bought cherries the very same day the magazine arrived in the mail and made my version of the chocolate-dipped cherries that very same night.
This is definitely one of the quickest, easiest, and quite possibly healthiest, desserts I've ever made.
Chocolate-Dipped Cherries With Ground Almonds (adapted from Whole Living, June 2011)
Ingredients
1 ounce Scharffen Berger 70% bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces cherries, rinsed (choose those with stems attached)
1/4 cup finely ground blanched almonds, toasted
Preparation
Line a sheet pan with wax paper.
Place the chocolate in a small bowl, and microwave for 15 seconds. Stir, and continue microwaving in 15-second increments and stirring in between until completely melted and smooth. (This should take a total of 45 seconds.)
Dip the bottoms of each cherry in the chocolate and then in the almonds, and place the dipped cherries on the prepared baking sheet.
Once you have dipped all of the cherries, transfer the baking sheet to the fridge, and let them firm up for at least 15 minutes.
Pile the cherries in a bowl to serve.
Notes: I had leftover ground almonds from making almond flour for macarons. When I sifted the almond flour, I saved the larger pieces that didn't go through, and this is what I used for the cherries. Also, you can easily double or triple this recipe, so you can share the cherries with friends. I think one batch is just the perfect indulgent serving for one or a satisfying treat for two.
I will be making these whenever cherry and chocolate cravings strike again. The dark chocolate and almonds add just a touch of decadence to the tart-sweet cherries.
Do you like cherries?