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These Chocolate Mice are the cutest little Christmas candies! They are the most adorable little craft kids can help make and eat!
5-Star Reader Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“These are absolutely adorable! Made them with my niece and nephew who at 5 and 4 thought they were the most fun thing ever!” – Gina
“I just love these adorable little mice! My daughter giggled the entire time we were making them, so fun!” – Wilhelmina
Not a Creature Was Stirring, Well Maybe A Mouse
These cute little chocolate mice are a favorite in our family! Not only are they adorable, these chocolate mice are so easy to make. It is a fun tradition to make with kids and see their creativity come through. They are fun for Christmas, Halloween, or themed parties.
If you want to make homemade chocolate covered cherries (the kind with the white fondant filling), you will need to think ahead. They take 2 weeks to set. But if you are planning on making some chocolate covered cherries already, why not turn some of them into mice? They are so great for sharing with friends, family, and neighbors during the holidays and make for the cutest gifts!
❤️Erica
Table of Contents
- 5-Star Reader Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Not a Creature Was Stirring, Well Maybe A Mouse
- Ingredients to Make Cherry Chocolate Mice
- How to Make Cherry Chocolate Mice
- Expert Tips & Decorating Ideas
- Use Old Fashioned Chocolate Covered Cherries
- Gift Ideas & Other Uses
- Making Ahead and Storing Chocolate Mice
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Fun Christmas Candy
- Chocolate Mice Recipe
Ingredients to Make Cherry Chocolate Mice
- Chocolate – I love using chocolate candy melts in this recipe. They are so easy to use, they melt so well and turn out so smooth every time. Wilton and Ghirardelli are both great brands. Of course, you can use chocolate chips as well, but you will have to add a little bit of oil to them.
- Cherries – Maraschino cherries with stems make the body of the mouse. It is important to find cherries with stems. They are tough to find sometimes, but you need the stems to make the mice tails.
- Hershey chocolate kisses – This is what makes the head/face of each mouse. You can use milk or dark chocolate depending on your preference.
- Peanut halves – This recipe calls for halved peanuts for the ears, but you could easily swap them out for sliced almonds or even little bits of marshmallows for the ears.
- Cinnamon red hot candies – These are getting harder to find around the holidays as well. A mini M&M will also work as a nose.
- White frosting – I usually just buy a small squeeze tube from the grocery store cake aisle because you are using such a small amount, but you can also make your own. Our recipe for royal icing is perfect for the small detail of the eyes.
How to Make Cherry Chocolate Mice
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl or over the stove until smooth and glossy. Give it a good stir so it’s nice and even.
- Grab a cherry by the stem and dip it into the melted chocolate, coating it completely. Set it on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. While the chocolate is still soft, press a chocolate kiss onto the front of the cherry to make the mouse’s face.
- Tuck a peanut half on each side between the cherry and the kiss to form the ears. For the finishing touches, add tiny dots of white frosting for eyes, then dab a bit of melted chocolate on a red-hot candy and stick it to the tip of the kiss for a cute little nose.
- Let them sit until the chocolate firms up, and you’ll have a whole batch of adorable, chocolate-covered mice ready to nibble or gift!
Expert Tips & Decorating Ideas
Dry cherries – Make sure your cherries are dry by using a towel paper patting them carefully without squishing them or altering their appearance.
Melt the chocolate slowly – For best results use a double boiler to heat the chocolate melts. If you need it quicker, using a microwave in low and small heating increments also works well.
Handle with care – The maraschino cherries can be fragile when dipping into the chocolate. Go a little slower and carefully wipe the excess drip of the chocolate on the side of the bowl.
Make sure they set – Be sure the chocolate is dry and hardened completely before covering it with plastic wrap or placing it in a tin or cellophane bag.
Use Old Fashioned Chocolate Covered Cherries
Prefer to use the old-fashioned chocolate covered cherries (like the kind you get in the gift boxes)? They are my favorite kind of chocolate covered cherry because they have that gooey, creamy center. The problem is, they are almost impossible to find with the stem still intact. Don’t worry though, we’ve got you covered. We have a recipe for homemade chocolate covered cherries that are perfect for this recipe and you can keep the stems attached!
Gift Ideas & Other Uses
Turn these cute chocolate mice into Christmas mice for a darling neighbor gift for the holidays. Make a plate of them and attach a card saying “‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” In addition to serving or gifting them on a plate or in a box with a ribbon, they are a fun topper for cupcakes or a themed birthday cake.
Making Ahead and Storing Chocolate Mice
Chocolate cherry mice are easy to make ahead and store. Once the chocolate has set, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or freeze them for longer storage. To freeze, place the mice on a lined baking sheet until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. When you’re ready to serve or gift them, let them sit at room temperature until slightly softened. They’ll hold their shape nicely and taste just as delicious as the day you made them!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can easily swap out peanuts for almond ears, or mini marshmallows for the ears.
It is best to use the maraschino cherries for flavor and appearance. Maraschino cherries have a fresh sweet flavor that has a vibrant red coloring.
YES! We highly recommend being creative and using the pantry items you already have at home. We have seen mini candy bows and scarves made with fruit roll ups, colored sprinkles, or even edible glitter to make these mice even better!
READ NEXT: 25+ Christmas Dessert Ideas
More Fun Christmas Candy
In our family, we love making big batches of goodies to give to our neighbors, and candy is our favorite thing to make! Try a few more of our favorites to box up for friends and neighbors.
Have you tried these Cherry Chocolate Mice? I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and let me know how they turned out. Don’t forget to snap a photo and tag us on Instagram @favoritefamilyrecipes. We love seeing your cute holiday creations! 🐭🍫🎄
Chocolate Mice Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup chocolate candy melts, milk or semi-sweet (You can also use chocolate chips with ½ teaspoon of shortening or coconut oil)
- 20 Maraschino cherries, WITH stems (these are a little hard to find, but they are a must!)
- 20 Hershey’s chocolate kisses
- 40 Unsalted peanut halves
- 20 Red-hots
- White decorating frosting, I usually just buy a small squeeze tube from the grocery store cake aisle.
Instructions
- In the microwave or over the stove, melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth.
- Holding a cherry by its stem, dip it into the chocolate. Place on a baking sheet covered with wax paper.
- Press a chocolate kiss on the front of the cherry. The wet chocolate will hold them together. Wedge peanut halves between the cherry and chocolate kiss to make the ears.
- Add a couple of dots of white frosting for the eyes, then put a little melted chocolate on a red-hot and place it on the end of the kiss to make the nose.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made 22 mice today. The red hots were too heavy so I put a small pink dot on each nose. I melted 2/3 cup of milk chocolate chips with 1/2tsp. Coconut oil in the microwave. These mice are for my grandchildren, a special neighbor and a few friends. I could have made more but the remaining cherries were without stems.
Thank you for sharing your substitution ideas! It is frustrating when the cherries don’t have stems. Thank you for your comment!
We have a peanut allergy in our house so we switched out the peanuts for brown m&ms for the ears. They turned out super cute! Thanks for this fun recipe.
These look adorable lining the edge of a cheesecake.
Great idea! Thank you, Diane!
Can I freeze them?
Sure!
I made these a couple of years ago for a holiday party. I put them in a lined shoebox with shelled sunflower seeds for ‘droppings’.
These came out so cute! I wound up using fresh Rainier cherries and dark chocolate kisses, and then sliced almonds for the ears. They came out great! I gave them as a birthday gift and the recipient loved them. Will make again for sure! They’ve kept for at least 4 days without refrigeration and are fabulous.
Yay! So glad to hear!
The only place I could find cherries WITH stems was in a liquor store. They come in both regular and liquor saturated. Of course, be sure to get the regular if making for children.
Tavette – South Florida
Do these have to stay refrigerated
No, you can store them on the counter in an airtight container.
Can’t wait to try this recipe out for xmas! Ty
Gordon Food Service (GFS) sells sells big containers of the stem on cherries
I used mini red M&M s for the nose.
The kind that comes in a little tube of red & green for Christmas!
Adorable! I m wondering if these could be frozen as I d like to make ahead?!
I think that would work!
These are absolutely adorable! Made them with my niece and nephew who at 5 and 4 thought they were the most fun thing ever!
I just love these adorable little mice! My daughter giggled the entire time we were making them, so fun!
Excellent website. Plenty of helpful info here.
I am sending it to some pals ans also sharing in delicious.
And naturally, thanks on your effort!
How far in advance can you make the mice
You can make them up to a couple of weeks in advance!
Harder to make than they look as hard to get smooth coating and keep chocolate liquid. Separate an Oreo and put them on the “snow” half, that is the half with white filling.
Easy!!! My dtr and I LOVED making these!
Love these little guys
Do these need to be refrigerated after making them because of the cherries?
Yes, I like to keep them in the fridge!
How far ahead of time can you make these?
They’ll last in the fridge for a few days. Longer than that and the peanuts will get soggy.
What do you use for the eyes?
White frosting!
A little harder to put the peanut time than I thought. But they turned out adorable.
Maraschino cherries with stems are always at the liquor stores.
Can have as a cooking or fellowship experience with children, grand kids, elderly etc., anytime….
Try chocolate chips for ears. They are perfect. Easy to place sturdy and look more like mouse ears than almonds or peanuts
Thanks for the tip! That sounds like a great idea!
Add more fun by putting Chocolate sprinkles near the mice! We put the mice on a bed of coconut and used the sprinkles! Instant mouse poo 🙂
I love it! Great idea! 😉
Amazon sells maraschino cherries with stems. But, just as a side note, if you don’t want to/or cannot find cherries with stems, I have made these with La Choy rice noodles as a tail. You just poke the noodles (which are curly) into the chocolate mouse’s behind while the chocolate is still wet. Also, I use almonds for the ears, as well as two little front paws. This is a fun recipe for the “older” kiddos. The littles usually have a hard time with it, even with help.
so cute! the kids would love these
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wish there was a photo… I’m a visual person!! 🙁
Yikes! There should be a photo here! I will search for it!
So cute! Now I have a fun, new treat to make next Christmas! Can’t wait to try them.
These were so adorable!I thought a little harder to make than it looks….but they turned out great!Thanks for the recipe!!!
These were so adorable!I thought a little harder to make than it looks….but they turned out great!Thanks for the recipe!!!
These are super fun to make. I think you need to work a bit faster so you can get all the pieces together before it drys. But so much fun to make. I also decided to use slivered almonds for ears as I thought it looked better. I’d love to post a pic of mine but can’t figure out how to attach it here
I have made these for years also.at xmas I make cookie trays for my husband’s work and family. Then I put a couple mice on top .I always use slice almonds also.soo cute.good to see others
Could you use a bit of licorice rope for the tail if you can’t find the cherries with stems?
We haven’t tried that before, but let us know if it works!
Good idea ..maybe an oreo truffle for the ball shape..I hate those cherries…! And the licorice for the tail!!!
So adorable! I’m not really a cherry fan but I can’t stop eating these! 😀 They look adorable together a tray but also look really cute with just a couple added among a tray of other goodies. Like a little hidden nuggets….
Those are cute. Now, if you could just remind me about them next year when I need to come up with ideas for neighborhood Christmas treats….
These are adorable! If anyone is having a hard time finding the cherries with stems, Sam’s Club sells large jars of them.
I used sliced almond for ears. And I found cherries with stems at WalMart.