Chocolate Cherry Coconut Dessert Sauce Canning Recipe
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Have you ever had a black forest cherry cake? Or whatever you call it? Chocolate, cherries, and coconut? That. OH MY GOSH. The first time I had this delectable mixture it changed my life. Chocolate and cherries AND coconut. Yes. All the yes. Absolutely. More please. So, when I found this recipe in a Ball canning book for black forest cherry sauce (or something similar to that) I was inspired to make it. But, knowing myself, I can’t follow a recipe to save my life.
Plus, it called for liquid pectin which 1. I didn’t have, 2. I wasn’t driving 30 minutes to go get, and 3. Pectin is my mortal enemy. Even Pomona’s pectin. Adding pectin. Not naturally occurring pectin. The powdered pectin or liquid pectin you buy in pouches from the store. Commercial pectin? IDK. You call it what you want but don’t go correcting me like the boobs on social media when I just call it pectin because FrUiT hAs PeCtIn ToO. Sigh. I think we all know what I mean I hope. And if we don’t, I bet you’re just being difficult.
ANYWHOOOOOO.
Back to chocolate cherry sauce. I had picked a boat load (literally) of fresh cherries off of some dear friends cherry trees and thought… I could absolutely make this work as a sauce. And work it DID. I used sour cherries not sweet cherries and liked it better than when I made it with the black cherries (bing cherries?) that are sweeter. The sweet cherries may be good for making sugar-free versions. I think the tart cherries mixed with the sweet sugar with the chocolate just touched all the taste buds that needed scratched that day. Who knows. Just know, you can use whatever cherry you like and it should be fine.
I take this sauce and absolutely smother vanilla ice cream with it. We’re talking more sauce than ice cream, that’s how good it is. Anyone I give this recipe to I tell to make it and try not to eat it all straight outta the pan when your eyes roll back in your head when you taste it. It’s that good. And I know I’ve preached that people can have differing opinions and still be friends, but if you don’t like this… that’s just something that’s going to be really hard for me to overlook!! :D I jest.
Since we’re not using added pectin in this recipe and we’re looking for a thickened, jammy, syrup-y texture, you can either use a candy thermometer (like I do with jam) or just wing it. I boil it til it looks right and then test the thickness on a frozen plate. In the summer there’s always a plate in my freezer for me to quickly cool down a spoonful of my confections to taste and also test the thickness. The cook time with vary because I can’t guess how thick you want your sauce. But now, I’m also considering boiling this straight into a chocolate cherry jam…. can you imagineeeeee. Should I add chocolate chips…. Yep, I’m doing that. Chocolate cherry preserves? Oh my gosh… I have so many ideas now. *furiously starts scribbling down notes*
Other Things I Can With Cherries
- Cherry Barbecue Sauce
- Cherry Pie Filling
- Lazy Girl Syrup Cherries
Best Way to Pit Cherries
If you have one of those punch style or crank cherry pitter tools, good on you. I don’t can enough cherries for it to make sense for me to store one and I could also just mooch off my Mom, but if I’m doing a small batch, I just use a metal drinking straw. You poke the straw down the center where the stem attached and the seed will push out the butt off the cherry. It’s pretty easy and if you sit on the porch and watch your kids run feral and have free range chickens, it goes pretty quick and clean up is a breeze since my chickens ate most of the cherry pits. Amygdalin, who?
Let’s can some chocolate cherry coconut sauce!
Equipment You Might Want:
- Steam canner
- Half-pint canning jars
- Lids and rings
- Medium stock pot
- Jar funnel
- Jar lifter
Ingredients:
- 5 cups sour cherries (pitted)
- 4 cups raw, unrefined sugar
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- 1/3 cup flaked unsweetened coconut (optional)
Step 1: Mix Ingredients
To a heavy sauce pan, add cherries, sugar, and cocoa powder, Stir well.
Place over medium heat, stirring pretty frequently to dissolve sugar and prevent burning.
Step 2: Cook Sauce
Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir frequently and allow to boil for about 45-60 minutes until thickened. You’re looking for between a syrup and jam consistency is what I prefer. Feel free to test the thickness on a frozen plate if you’re unsure. Drop a teaspoon onto a frozen plate and let it sit for about 30 seconds and then assess the thickness.
Once thickened to your liking, add in the lemon juice, stir and allow it to boil 1 more minute.
Remove sauce from heat and stir in the coconut.
Step 3: Canning
Ladle sauce into clean half-pint canning jars to 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add more if needed to maintain headspace.
Wipe jar rim with a damp cloth. Place lids on top and secure with a screw band.
Water bath half pints at a full rolling boil covered with 2 inches of water or steam can jars for 10 minutes, adjusting processing time for elevation if needed.
Once processing time is complete, shut off heat, remove jars from canner, and set aside to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
Step 4: Storage
After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight. Room temperature is fine. Shelf life is til you eat them; aim to rotate out and use canned goods within 2 years for best nutritional value and flavor and appearance, but they’ll last much longer than that. Especially considering this has quite a bit of sugar in it!
Notes:
This is a great way to repurpose canned cherries you have in your pantry that you never used. When I make it using previously canned cherries, I just use 3-4 pints of cherries and drain them.
You can adjust the sugar to your taste; low sugar, no sugar, natural sugar. Just be prepared your results may differ from what I get when I follow my recipe. Yes, sugar isn’t great for you, but it’s fine in moderation and it’s not like a jar of this cherry sauce is the bulk of my diet. It’s a sweet treat!
To use:
Ladle it into your mouth.
Smother homemade vanilla ice cream with it, pound cake, top a cheesecake, etc.
Home canning is so worth it when you make something this delicious for your shelves! You don’t have to save it for a special occasion, pop a jar just because it’s a random Wednesday and you need chocolate :D
Equipment
- Medium stock pot
- Half pint canning jars
- canning lids & bands
- jar lifter
Ingredients
- 5 cups sour cherries pits & stems removed
- 4 cups raw, unrefined sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- 1/3 cup flaked unsweetened coconut optional
Instructions
- To a stock pot, add pitted cherries, sugar, and cocoa powder. Stir and place over medium heat, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar.
- Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, and allow to boil for about 45-60 minutes or until mixture thickens to your liking and looks syrup-y.
- Add in lemon juice and boil for 1 more minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in coconut if adding.
- Ladle sauce into clean half-pint jars to 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe jars rims, add lids and bands, and water bath or steam can for 10 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if needed.
- Once processing time is complete, remove jars to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
- Once cooled, remove rings, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.
