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Martha Washington Candy is a nostalgic candy filled with cherries, coconut, and pecans and then coated in chocolate. Perfect for Christmas and Valentine’s Day!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Great Gift Idea: The maraschino cherry gives the pop of red color in the center, making them perfect for neighbor gifts during the holidays or a fun Valentine’s Day treat!
- Nostalgic: Martha Washington Candy is one of those old-fashioned recipes that gets passed down from generation to generation! It was made popular in the 1920s.
- Chocolate Lovers Dream: I love chocolate-covered anything! If you do as well, try my Chocolate Covered Strawberries, creamy Chocolate Covered Banana Bites, and these amazing Chocolate Covered Oreos.
Ingredients Needed
Making this Martha Washington Candy recipe with my kids is a fun family tradition. Luckily, the ingredients are simple pantry staples that you may already have on hand. Here’s everything you’ll need, and you’ll find the exact measurements in the recipe card.
- Maraschino Cherries: The star of the show! They add a sweet cherry flavor and a bright pop of color.
- Unsalted Butter: Holds the filling together while adding rich, buttery flavor.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Makes every bite of these chocolates super creamy, rich, and sweet!
- Shredded Sweetened Coconut: Shredded coconut goes so well with the cherries, crunchy nuts, and chocolate.
- Powdered Sugar: To sweeten these bites of delight!
- Pecans: Toasted pecans add the perfect nutty crunch that is a great contrast to the creamy center.
- Vanilla Extract: For a subtle, sweet warmth.
- Dark Chocolate: You can use a dark, coating chocolate or candy melts for the outside chocolate coating of the candies.
How to Make Martha Washington Candy
These candies are so easy to make! No need to turn on the oven, and you don’t even need a mixer! Here’s how simply they come together:
- Prep: Prepare the cherries by roughly chopping them into small pieces. Press as much juice out of them as possible by squeezing them in cheesecloth or paper towels. Set aside.
- Filling: In a large bowl, melt the butter. Add the sweetened condensed milk, coconut, powdered sugar, pecans, vanilla, and the prepared cherries. Mix together until combined.
- Chill: Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled, use a medium cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop three tablespoon-sized portions into your hand. Roll with your hands to make a uniform ball. Don’t worry if the coconut sticks out here and there.
- Chill: Place the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the coating chocolate.
- Chocolate Coating: Add the coating chocolate to a small bowl and heat in 20 second intervals in the microwave. Stir after each interval until all the chocolate melts.
- Dip & Chill: Use a fork to dip the balls in the chocolate until they are fully coated, tapping off the excess on the side of the bowl. Place the coated balls back on the parchment lined baking sheet. Chill until the chocolate has fully hardened.
Martha Washington Candy Tips and Variations
I have made these so many times I have a list of ways to help you make them turn out perfect every time. Even though they look super fancy, they’re actually so simple to make! You can also change them up and make them your own!
- Make Them Plain: You can take out the cherries or pecans if you don’t like them or have nut allergies.
- Cherry Prep Tip: Try to get as much liquid out of the cherries as possible. If there is too much moisture, it will make the filling too soft. It won’t set up the way it’s supposed to. Measure the 10 ounces of cherries after they have been removed from the jar and chopped. Not before all the liquid has been squeezed out of them.
- Chocolate Chips: You can use regular chocolate chips to coat the candy instead of candy melts or coating chocolate. Add one teaspoon of coconut oil to each cup of chocolate chips to give it a softer bite.
- Best Chocolate: For the best coating chocolate to use in this recipe, look for Ghirardelli dark chocolate coating wafers. They taste amazing with the coconut filling!
- Toasting Nuts: To toast your pecans, lay them in a single layer and bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7 minutes or until the color becomes darker and very fragrant. Let them cool completely before chopping them and adding them to the filling.
Storing Leftovers
Let your Martha Washington Candy cool and set, then save it for later! This is a great dessert recipe to make ahead of time because it keeps well for a long time. I like to wrap it up and share it with friends and neighbors during the holidays!
- Room Temperature: Store candy at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- Fridge: For longer storage, place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
- Freezer: Store it in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. If frozen, allow them to thaw for 2 hours at room temperature.
More Candy Recipes to Try
Once you have made these candies, you are going to want even more delicious candy recipes! Whether it’s for a holiday celebration, party, or a snack at home, these are some of our favorites!
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Martha Washington Candy
Martha Washington Candy is an easy no-bake treat filled with cherries, coconut and pecans, and then coated in chocolate. Perfect for Christmas and Valentine’s Day!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces maraschino cherries
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 8 ounces shredded sweetened coconut
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- dark coating chocolate or candy melts
Instructions
- Prepare the maraschino cherries by roughly chopping them into small pieces and then pressing as much juice out of them by squeezing them in cheesecloth or paper towels. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, melt the butter. Add the sweetened condensed milk, coconut, powdered sugar, pecans, vanilla, and the prepared maraschino cherries. Mix together until combined.
- Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Once chilled, use a medium cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop 3-tablespoon-sized portions into your hand. Roll with your hands to make a uniform ball. Don’t worry if the coconut sticks out here and there.
- Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in the fridge while you prepare the coating chocolate.
- Add the coating chocolate to a small bowl and heat in the microwave for about 1 minute, heating in 20-second intervals. Stir well between each intervals until all the chocolate is melted.
- Use a fork to dip the balls in the chocolate until the are fully coated, tapping off the excess on the side of the bowl. Place the coated balls back on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill until the chocolate has fully hardened.
Nutrition
Calories: 173kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 1gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 12mgPotassium: 82mgFiber: 2gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 117IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
Am I reading it wrong??? Roll 3 tablespoons full into one ball?
I must admit I thought the same thing. I’d reduce the amount of powdered sugar and use unsweetened coconut. It would still be very sweet but not quite as bad.
I think it is a typo and should be three teaspoons. Three Tablespoons would be awfully large.
These candies are actually bigger than typical chocolates, so it should be 3 tablespoons. You can always make these smaller if you want, it’s really up to what you prefer.
Looking for your delicious The Perfect Pumpkin Scones recipe and can’t find it can you send me a copy?
Here you go! Enjoy! 😊