Making raw desserts is so much fun and making raw candy is particularly satisfying! When I first made raw peanut butter cups I was blown away at how incredibly delicious they were. I have to give a shout out to the wonderful person behind the www.glutenfreevegangirl site – because her recipe is perfection! It was also the inspiration for these chocolate cherry cups which I simply adore. I have noticed that for some reason, there is only about one month per year when I can get frozen organic cherries. I know this because I start missing the fresh ones that were around over the summer and I stock up on the frozen ones. But one month from now, they will be hard to find. So, I make lots of delicious desserts with cherries until I can no longer find them at all and have to wait for summer to come around again. These candy cups are easy and fun to make and they taste great! I like to keep them in the freezer because they defrost quite quickly. I have been known, however, to be impatient and eat them frozen as well!
Chocolate layer:
- 2 cups pitted dates
- 1/2 cup plus 2 T cacao powder
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts
- 1 T water
Cherry filling:
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup coconut milk – not low fat
- 1 T maple syrup
- 1 t coconut oil
- 1 t vanilla
- 3/4 cup frozen cherries
- 2 small pinches salt
In a food processor, process the walnuts and the water until it is the consistency of peanut butter. Add the remaining chocolate layer ingredients to the walnut butter. Process until it comes together.
Line 3 mini muffin tins with paper liners (makes 36).
Divide chocolate into thirds. Reserve one third.
Roll the remaining 2/3 into balls and then flatten in the palms of your hands. See photos for size.
Place one flattened ball into each liner and press into bottom and up sides.
Place all ingredients for filling in food processor and process until creamy.
Spoon 1/2 t of filling into each liner.
With the reserved one third dough, roll and flatten smaller balls and place on top of each cup.
Freeze until hardens, usually at least an hour.
Store in freezer.
Vibrantly Vegan 
I will be making this recipe this weekend for the Lion’s game and will let you know. Also, a real neat trick is when baking any sort of cherry recipe, add in 1/2 of tart cherry juice concentrate, not the cherry juice but the concentrate to really bring out the cherry flavor. Living in Michigan I get mine from Traverse Bay Farms. My grandmother taught my this a few years back.
Thanks for the tip Gennie! It sounds great! I hope so much that you like this recipe – I’m sure it will be even more delicious with the concentrate!