Easy Chocolate-Cherry Bombs

JELL-O

When you're ready to line up the holiday dessert table with miniature desserts, pick out recipes that take less than an hour or so to prepare. The holidays are busy enough without baking and cooking activities, so a few no-bake recipes can save time and still satisfy a crowd!

Chocolate-cherry bombs made with JELL-O Cherry Flavor Gelatin took me less than 15 minutes to put together and were ready to serve within an hour. These eye-catching, miniature desserts would make a great addition to any holiday table and are sure to be an instant hit with chocolate lovers.

Here's how to make your own batch of 14 chocolate-cherry bombs:

What you'll need:

1/3 cup boiling water

1 package (3 oz.) JELL-O Cherry Flavor Gelatin

1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk

2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped

14 maraschino cherries with stems, drained

14 3 oz. paper cups sprayed with cooking spray

Baking sheet or tray

To make chocolate cherry-bombs:

Step 1: Prepare cherry mixture. Mix the boiling water with the JELLO-Cherry Flavor Gelatin in a small bowl until the gelatin is completely dissolved. This shouldn't take longer than two minutes. Set this bowl aside.

Step 2: Melt chocolate. Place the chocolate in a microwaveable bowl and top with evaporate milk. Set the microwave to heat for one minute, stir the chocolate mixture with a wooden spoon, then set in the microwave for another minute until the chocolate is completely melted. There shouldn't be any lumps in this mixture.

Step 3: Mix the melted chocolate with the cherry mixture. Whisk the chocolate into the gelatin mixture until well-blended. Make sure the mixture is thoroughly blended so there are no traces of red gelatin.

Step 4: Line up 14 cups on a baking sheet or tray. I used miniature cupcake liners sprayed with cooking spray to get the shape you see in the picture. Each liner sat in a mini muffin pan cavity to retain its shape. Pour the mixture evenly into each cup or liner, then leave the tray in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.

Step 5: Top each chocolate-cherry bomb with a maraschino cherry. You'll need to press the cherry firmly into the middle of each "bomb" or it won't set properly in place. Leave the tray in the refrigerator for at least another 20 to 30 minutes until firm.

Step 6: Unmold and serve! Remove the cupcake liner or gently pull each chocolate-cherry bomb out of the cup. Set on a serving plate or platter. Keep these refrigerated when you're not serving them right away.

Content by Sabah Karimi.