These sweet, edible chocolate mice are a favorite in our family! Not only are they adorable, these chocolate mice are so simple to make. It is a great tradition to make with kids and see their creativity come through. They are fun for Christmas, Halloween, or themed parties. It is a year-round treat that kids to adults love! Chocolate mice have a sweet and tangy flavor. The rich chocolate and sweet maraschino cherries are the perfect combination! These cute little treats have minimal ingredients and are simple to put together. Create different types of chocolate cherry mice or make them all the same. They are great for sharing with friends, family, and neighbors. Chocolate mice are a classic holiday treat!
Ingredients in Easy Chocolate Mice
You will love how simple these chocolate cherry mice come together with a few baking staples. Melting the chocolate, cleaning the cherries, and assembling them all together is a fun and easy holiday experience! Kids love to help and make this a tradition your family will love doing together!
Chocolate – Milk chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips, or candy melts are all ways to make the chocolate color for the body. 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. The stems become the tail of the mouse. Hershey chocolate kisses – You can use milk or dark chocolate depending on your preference. The chocolate kisses make up for the mouse’s face. 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 Prepare the Body of the Chocolate Mice
You can easily make these yourself, or bring in the kids and make an assembly line. It is a fun project for the whole family during Christmas break! This delicious treat will be a part of your family traditions each year.
Decorating the Chocolate Mice
Making and creating the chocolate mice is the best part! Tiny hands may struggle with this part, but older kids will do great. It is easy to assemble the ears, eyes, and nose. Create uniformed mice or all unique ones!
How to Use Chocolate-Covered Cherries
You can use any kind of chocolate-covered cherries for this recipe as long as it has the stem intact. If you plan at least two weeks for the cherries to set, you can make our classic chocolate-covered cherries and use them for this recipe. The cherries will have a softened, creamy fondant layer between the cherry and the chocolate layer. They are my favorite way to make these chocolate cherry Christmas mice but they do take more time and planning. To get the Hershey’s Kisses to stick on the front, simply melt some chocolate and use it as glue to hold the two candies together.
Homemade Chocolate Mice Variations
These variations for chocolate mice are so fun and cute each way you make them! Take your creative side and make these cherry mice with the things you have in your kitchen pantry. The options are endless and fun!
Nutty Surprise – Add a whole almond or a roasted hazelnut inside the cherry before molding it. The nut adds a nice crunch and flavor contrast. White Chocolate Option – Instead of dark chocolate, use white chocolate for dipping. This creates a sweeter and creamier contrast to the fruity center. Coconut-Coated – Roll the chocolate-dipped mice in shredded coconut after dipping for a tropical twist. This complements the sweet cherry and chocolate. This works especially well when using white chocolate. Spiced Chocolate – Add a pinch of cinnamon or a hint of cayenne pepper to the melted chocolate for a subtle kick in flavor. Sprinkles and Confetti – Decorate the mice with colorful sprinkles, edible glitter, or tiny edible sugar pearls for a festive look. Mini Marzipan Ears – Mold small almond or chocolate marzipan slices into mouse ears and attach them to your chocolate-dipped mice for extra cuteness. Chocolate Drizzle – After dipping the mice, drizzle contrasting chocolate with white on dark or dark on white to give the mice a fun design. Peanut Butter Filling – Swap the cherry with a peanut butter filling similar to the filling in our peanut butter bon bons for a classic peanut butter and chocolate flavor.
Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Mice
Chocolate mice are a festive treat that is fun to have for the holidays and parties! With a few simple steps and minimal ingredients, these chocolate mice are sure to be a family activity. Follow these helpful tips to make the best chocolate mice even better!
Dry cherries – Make sure your cherries are dry by using a towel paper patting them carefully without squishing them or altering their appearance. Quality ingredients – Using high-quality chocolate ingredients will help with flavor and how well they last when stored. Melting chocolate – For best results use a double broiler to heat the chocolate. If you need it quicker, using a microwave in low and small heating increments also works well. Careful – 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. Setting chocolate – Be sure the chocolate is dry and hardened completely before covering it with plastic wrap or placing it in a tin or cellophane bag. Sharing – 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.
Christmas Mice For Holiday Neighbor Gifts
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.”
Storing Chocolate Mice and Making Ahead
Storing chocolate cherry mice is an easy task and can even be made ahead of time! These last for a week in the fridge and even longer in the freezer. Colder temperatures allow the chocolate mice to hold their form and last until they are enjoyed!
Making ahead – These chocolate mice are a great way to get ahead in making them for friends and family. Follow the instructions and once they are set, place in the fridge until ready to enjoy. Refrigeration – Store the chocolate-covered cherry mice in an airtight container in the fridge for two weeks. The cooler temperature of the fridge will help hold together the chocolate mice and give them the structure they need. Freezing – Once the chocolate mice are cooled and ready to store, flash-freeze them on a lined cookie sheet in the freezer. Place the frozen chocolate mice in a Serving – When ready to serve or give as a gift, let the chocolate mice sit at room temperature before biting into the chocolate cherry. Place on a plate or in a gift box for sharing!
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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.
How to Make Chocolate Mice
Christmas Crunch
See’s Fudge Recipe
Mom’s Homemade Caramels
Chocolate Covered Cherries
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