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A bowl of maraschino cherries in syrup on a lace table cloth beside 3 cinnamon sticks and a few scattered cloves.
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5 from 1 vote

Spiced Maraschino Cherries

This spiced maraschino cherry recipe is the easiest one you’ll find! It’s also the most exciting! Clove and cinnamon give these delicious cherries a delightful autumn-winter flavor that turns desserts and cocktails into exquisite holiday treats. They also make wonderful gifts!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time13 minutes
Thawing and soaking1 day 8 hours
Total Time1 day 8 hours 18 minutes
Course: Garnish
Cuisine: International
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 30 cherries
Calories: 42kcal
Author: Genevieve Morrison

Equipment

  • bowl
  • mesh strainer
  • small/medium-sized pot
  • 8 oz. measuring cup
  • mixing spoon
  • 10-15 ounce jar or container with lid

Ingredients

  • 10 oz. cherries - frozen and pitted
  • ¼ cup water - depending on how much cherry juice releases
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 6 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 tbsp. cloves
  • 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
  • 1 tsp. real vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Begin by thawing 10 ounces of frozen cherries overnight (or 8 hours) over a bowl in a strainer to allow juices to release. Once the cherries have had time to thaw, pour all of the released juice into a measuring cup.
  • Add 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur and 1 tsp. real vanilla extract. Then, add just enough water to fill up to 6 oz.
  • Into a small/medium-size pot, pour cherry mixture and 1 cup white granulated sugar.  Simmer on LOW and stir gently until sugar is dissolved, about 30 seconds.
  • Add 6 cinnamon sticks and 2 tbsp. cloves. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon sticks and place them in a jar or container that comes with a lid.
  • Add thawed cherries to the jar, and pour the cherry juice mixture and cloves in. Place the lid on top and refrigerate for 24 hours.
  • Pour everything into a strainer over a bowl and remove the cherries, picking off any stray cloves. Place the cherries back in the jar and pour the strained cherry juice back in with the cherries.

Notes

Keep them refrigerated. Even though they contain a lot of preserving sugar, they’ll say fresh longer when refrigerated.
To make things a bit easier, wrap cloves in cheesecloth. I don’t mind picking the cherries out one by one once they’ve soaked in the cloves and cinnamon sticks, but you might want to just dump them, remove the cinnamon sticks and not have to worry about picking off some of the cloves.
Don’t let them soak with the cloves and cinnamon for more than 24 hours. The flavor becomes too overwhelming and not very appetizing. 24 hours is the perfect amount of time.
They will last for 2-3 months. If you want to properly can them though, they’ll last for years before opening.
 
See post for detailed instructions with photos of the process.
Nutrition information is an estimate.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cherry | Calories: 42kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 47mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg