Homemade Maraschino Cherries

Note: I was sent Northwest Cherries in order to write this post. All opinions are mine alone.

July is peak cherry season, which means I have A TON of cherries in my fridge! I was sent quite a few bags of cherries from Northwest Cherry Growers, and had to dive right in to using them! Fun fact: Northwest Cherry Growers is a group of 2,500+ farms that produce at least three-quarters of the nation’s entire sweet cherry crop.

Northwest-grown sweet cherries tend to boast the highest fruit sugar content of any cherries. The naturally high sugar content makes them such a yummy snack on their own, or great in baked goods and other recipes. They are also one of the lowest fruits on the glycemic index. (In case you’re wondering, a general rule of thumb is that the darker the cherry, the sweeter it is.)

Cherries are also a superfruit and have been credited with reducing the risk of some serious diseases. Published research points to the health benefits of sweet cherries, including a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The study discovered consuming sweet cherries can help prevent chronic inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer. These powerful superfruits also contain melatonin, which may increase your quality of sleep and reduce jetlag.

Cherry season is pretty short, from July to mid-August, so I’m excited to have the opportunity to use these beautiful cherries in a bunch of different recipes. Fresh cherries keep for approximately two weeks when refrigerated in a sealed bag or container. If you want to enjoy them year-round, you can also freeze cherries by rinsing, drying, and packing them up in freezer bags.

I’m kind of in a canning state of mind after making my Blueberry Chia Seed Jam a few weeks ago, so I wanted to can some of these beautiful cherries. You may have noticed I’m a fan of cocktails, so I just had to make homemade maraschino cherries!

Maraschino cherries are named for the Marasca cherry grown originally in Croatia, which when distilled, produce a liqueur. Whole cherries that are preserved in this liqueur became known as Maraschino Cherries.

These maraschino cherries are not those bright red guys you’ll find in a Shirley Temple. No no, these are the adult, more refined version. There is no artificial coloring, and much less sweetener added. And they are perfect for cocktails and adult ice cream sundaes!

 

Ingredients:

• 2 bags (~100 cherries) fresh cherries, pitted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• the zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups cherry (maraschino) liqueur

Before beginning, you’ll need to wash and pit your cherries. I used a cherry pitter aimed over my sink to pit the cherries. As a warning, this is a fairly messy process. Cherry juice splatters! You’ll notice I kept the stems on my cherries when possible — feel free to remove the stems if that’s your preference.

If you are canning, fill a very large pot with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Wash 8 half pint (or 4 pint, if you prefer) jars, lids and bands in hot soapy water. Rinse well and dry the bands thoroughly. Add the jars to the water and put over high heat. You want the jars to be warm when you fill them with the cherries. With the timing of this recipe, the pot of water will barely reach a simmer before the jam is ready to be canned.

Once your jars are in the pot,  add the sugar to a separate large pot. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the pot along with the sugar as best you can, then drop in the full vanilla bean. Add in the cinnamon sticks, lemon zest, lemon juice and water.

Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.

Add in your pitted cherries, stirring to coat. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring to evenly cook.

Remove the pot from heat and pour in the liqueur, stirring to combine.

Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

While the cherries are cooling, remove the jars from the hot water, emptying out the water. Fill each jar with cherries (about one dozen fit in each half pint jar) and liquid, leaving approximately 1/4 inch headspace.

Clean the rim and threads of the jars using a clean, damp paper towel. Add the lid on top of each jar, allowing the reddish sealing compound to come in contact with the jar rim. Add the band and twist until its fingertip tight.

Place the jars on your rack and lower the rack filled with the jars into your pot. Make sure the water level covers the tops of the jars by 1 to 2 inches, adding boiling water if necessary.

Add the lid to your pot and bring to a rolling boil. Process the jars for 10 minutes (it may be more if you live in a high altitude area – increase processing time 5 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 ft, 10 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 ft,  15 minutes for 6,001- to 8,000 ft, and 20 minutes for 8,001 to 10,000 ft).

When processing time is complete, turn off the heat and remove the lid. Let jars stand in the water for 5 more minutes.

Remove the jars from the canner and set upright on a towel. This helps prevent jar breakage when the jar comes in contact with a cooler surface. Let jars sit for 12 to 24 hours. Do not tighten the bands during this time.

After 12 to 24 hours, check the lids for seals. The lids should not “pop” when the center is pressed. Remove the bands and try to lift the entire jar by the lid. If the lid stays on top, you have a good seal. Label and store in a cool dry place for up to 1 year. You can store with or without the bands.

I am so pleased with how these turned out! They taste just like the fancy ones you can find in the store.

If canned, they make awesome presents; if not canning, store them in an airtight container in your fridge and use within a few weeks.

Looking for some inspiration on how to use all those lovely maraschino cherries? Use them in your favorite cocktail, like a Perfect Manhattan, or this Limoncello Whiskey Sour.

Have a sweet tooth? They are perfect on top of an ice cream sundae, or on some of these fun cupcake recipes – Old Fashioned Cupcakes, Black Forest Cupcakes, Banana Split Cupcakes.

In case you have a fridge of fresh cherries, here are some other recipes you might be interested in:

• Farro, Berry and Walnut Salad
• Cherry-Ricotta Bruschetta
• Grilled Peach Old Fashioned Cocktail
• Berry Sangria