by 
Cherry Mash candy is mostly sold in the midwest region, and it can be hard to find in stores… so a lot of folks have never even heard of it. The factory is located in my hometown (St. Joseph, MO), so this is a candy that I grew up with. A little bit of trivia: The Cherry Mash has been made by the Chase Candy Company since 1918, and it is the 3rd oldest candy bar in the country.
I was surprised how difficult it was to find Cherry Mash once I moved to Colorado. I found this recipe for homemade Cherry Mash candy somewhere, and have been making it in our annual Christmas Tins since we started making them. (I’ve had this recipe for so long, I don’t even remember when or where I got it from- I think I may have found it in my grandma’s recipe box.)
The recipe actually calls for it to be made in a 9X13 dish, but Kayla and I like to pour it into mini muffin liners (instead of making bars) for our Christmas tins. It makes such a cute addition and, since it’s hard to find out here, it also makes a novel addition to our boxes. I have a lot of people ask me for the recipe because it is different than any candy they’ve had before.
The cherry flavored bottom is very very sweet (because after all it is just sugar, sugar, and more sugar (sugar, marshmallows, and cherry chips), but the peanut buttery chocolate top offsets it, and is a yummy compliment to the cherry fudge.
Kayla and I sometimes talked about trying to make ours look closer to the “real” Cherry Mash, but ultimately decide that we liked it in the mini muffin liners just like we have always made them…plus it would be extra work to coat the liners with chocolate first before we poured in the Cherry mixture. Since the recipe makes about 60-70 mini Cherry Mash, we always decide not to go for the extra work. However- I’m sure it would look super cute if you did take the time to coat the bottom and sides of the mini muffin liners with the chocolate mixture first before adding the cherry mixture, and then topping it with more of the chocolate.
If you ever have a chance to try a real Cherry Mash, it’s definitely worth it…but the homemade ones are yummy, too! Enjoy!
Homemade Cherry Mash Candy
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (1 stick)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk
- 12 large marshmallows
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 6 oz cherry chips
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 12 oz pkg semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups finely chopped peanuts
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
- Butter a 13X9 inch pan. (or if using mini muffin cups, lay out about 60 liners on baking sheets and/or in mini muffin t putting the liners on baking sheets or in muffin tins will make it easier to transfer mixture to the refrigerator).
- Combine 1/2 cup butter, 2 cups granulated sugar, 2/3 cup evaporated milk, 12 large marshmallows, and 1/8 tsp salt in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in 6 oz cherry chips and 1 tsp vanilla extract, stirring until well blended.
- Pour into prepared pan and chill for 2 hours. (Or- Pour into mini muffin liners, and chill for about 15 minutes).
- Melt 12 oz chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat, then add 2 cups chopped peanuts and 3/4 cup peanut butter. Stir until well blended. Spread evenly over the top of the first layer. Chill until firm, then cut into bite sized squares (of course, if you are using mini-muffin liners, there is no need to cut them).
