Homemade Maraschino Cherries: The Sweetest Topping for Any Dessert

And they’re not dyed artificially red like many premade versions!

This recipe also does not include any alcohol. But if you prefer, you can always make a spiked version by adding a bit of cherry liqueur to yours – or brandy, vodka, bourbon, or rum. These make a wonderful addition to cocktails!

All you need to make your own batch is a little patience to pit the fruits, and a few basic ingredients like sugar, citrus, and warming spices.

Once you’ve tried making your own, you’ll never go back to the commercially available ones again!

These also come in handy for holiday baking, if you take the simple recipe one step further – we’ll explain how in the Cooking by the Numbers section!

And here’s a sweet relief: frozen cherries can also be used to make this recipe, if the fresh version is unavailable in your area during the colder fall and winter months.

With the frozen product, there’s no need for pitting, which will save you some time in the kitchen. And you can reserve the liquid from the defrosted fruit to use in place of some of the water for a more concentrated fruity flavor.

Ready to make your own from scratch? Let’s head straight to the recipe!

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Cooking by the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep and Measure

Pit the cherries, doing your best to leave them whole – this is purely for aesthetics, so it’s okay if some tear in half.

You can do this by a few different methods. For the easiest and most efficient option, use a cherry pitter.

If you don’t own this tool, you can also cut a small incision in the base of the cherry with a paring knife and squeeze or scoop out the pits.

Or, you can follow this trick:

Place a cherry on the top of a narrow-necked glass bottle, and quickly poke the pit through with a wooden chopstick or skewer. Note that this only works with very ripe fruit, though.

When all of your stone fruit is prepped, carefully remove the peel from an orange with a vegetable peeler and set it aside. Then, juice the orange and the two lemons – you’ll need about 1/2 cup of juice from each variety.

Depending on the size of the oranges and lemons that are available to you, you may need to juice more than what is recommended in order to yield the correct amount for this recipe. Shop smart, and buy extra!

Set out the cinnamon stick and star anise. Finally, measure out the water, sugar, and salt.

Step 2 – Make the Syrup

Combine the water, sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, salt, cinnamon stick, star anise, and orange peel in a large skillet.

Place the skillet on the stovetop over high heat, and bring to a boil.

Once the mixture is at a boil, reduce the heat to low and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the sugar has fully dissolved.

Step 3 – Add Fruit and Simmer

Add the stone fruit and allow it to simmer over low heat for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, until the liquid reduces enough into a thin syrup.

The syrup should have a faint cherry taste to it – you can taste the syrup at this point, as this is the best way to know how your recipe is coming along, and it’s part of the fun!

Step 4 – Cool and Store

Once the syrup is ready, immediately pour out the contents from the skillet into a large bowl to completely cool.

This transfer will prevent them from cooking further, as you want the fruit to be cooked, but not mushy.

Once cooled, remove and dispose of the spices and citrus peel. You don’t want anyone accidentally chomping down on these particular ingredients!

Transfer the fruit and liquid to a jar or airtight container, and cover it with a lid. Place the jar in the refrigerator and let the fruit soak in the syrup for at least three days before eating.

The mixture can keep for up to three months in the refrigerator, tightly covered.

While these preserved fruits tend to be used as decorative toppings for desserts or a garnish for drinks, this homemade version tastes so good that you can even eat them on their own! Enjoy!

Step 5 – Dehydrate (Optional)

You can transform your homemade maraschinos into candied sweets to top your Christmas cookies! Here’s how:

First, drain the jar and reserve the syrup. Combine about 1/2 cup of the reserved maraschino juice with 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a saucepan, and stir over low heat until the sugar is almost completely dissolved.

Then, add the cherries, stir, and bring to a boil.

Cover and reduce the heat to low, and gently simmer until the cherries are slightly firm and the liquid is nearly gone, for about 1 hour. Take the lid off your pot and remove from the heat. Allow to cool completely, then transfer the cherries to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Allow to dry out exposed for 2 to 4 hours, or until dry to the touch. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Once they’re dry, these can be used in holiday baking, to make a figgy pudding, top sweet desserts, and of course, to decorate buttery cookies like our sweet snowflake cookies.

Pretty Please with a Cherry on Top!

Now it’s time to impress your guests by serving dessert or drinks with a homemade garnish!

And this homemade fruit preserved in syrup will taste so much better than the store-bought ones – even though they won’t look quite so artificially red.

You’ll love using a few glistening pieces to decorate a Black Forest cake, to top scoopfuls of ice cream, and to plop in an old fashioned.

And these make for beautiful gifts for celebrations or holidays – place them in decorative mini glass canning jars and tie them with ribbons and bows, complete with a handwritten note on how to store and use them.