Italian Style Maraschino Cherries
These maraschino cherries are made like some that we had in Italy in the bottom of our gelato cones. They’re dark and sweet and look nothing like the brightly colored maraschino cherries in the United States. They will last all year in your refrigerator, so you can enjoy the taste of summer for months to come. A cherry pitter makes quick work of removing the pits…it’s totally worth it! Use the cherries on ice cream or in drinks. Save the cherry juice to make cherry cake or cherry frosting.
Yield: 2 lbs
Maraschino Cherries
Prep time: 20 MinInactive time: 36 HourTotal time: 36 H & 20 M
Ingredients
Cherries
- 2 lbs sweet cherries, washed and pitted
Brine
- 2 quarts lukewarm water
- 2 tsp pickling salt (or other fine grained salt that is not iodized)
Syrup
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp almond extract
Instructions
To Brine the Cherries
- Place warm water in large bowl and add salt. Stir until salt is dissolved (it will dissolve faster in warmer water).
- Once salt is dissolved, add the washed and pitted cherries to the bowl.
- Allow to sit on the counter uncovered for 24 hours.
Place the Cherries in Jars
- Drain the cherries in a colander and rinse with cool water for a minute or two.
- Place the cherries in jars (2 quart sized jars or 6-8 half pint jars). You can pack them in if you want to.
Syrup
- Place the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves, and bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla and almond extracts.
- Pour hot syrup into jars.
- Allow the jars to sit on the counter uncovered until they cool to room temperature. Put the lids on and transfer to the refrigerator.
Notes
Remember that because these are not canned (where the jars are boiled with the lids on to seal them), they will need to be refrigerated.
Cherries will keep in the refrigerator for up to one year.
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