A sundae isn’t a sundae without a cherry on top! This recipe details how to make maraschino cherries from scratch, perfect for summer desserts and to keep on hand.
1. Pit the cherries, leaving stems intact, and place into a pint-sized jar.
2. Stir together the water & sugar in a small pot and heat until sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Stir in lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract. Taste it to see if you’d like more lemon juice. See my note above for lemon juice. If using sweet cherries extra lemon juice definitely helps!
4. Pour syrup over cherries, submerging completely.
5. Allow to cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating overnight before using. I’ve also eaten them plenty of times just one hour after making them and they’re still great. So if you’re in a rush, don’t worry, but just know they’ll get better with time! Enjoy!!
6. Storage: most similar recipes online will say these last about a month in the fridge. For me I’ve always kept them for multiple months in the back of the fridge and they’ve been fine— so up to you!
