My aunt has made these slow cooker chocolate cherry clusters for every graduation party since I can remember, all the way back to when we were setting card tables up in the church basement and taping crepe paper to the ceiling. She’d arrive with a big old mixing bowl piled high with these glossy little mounds, and I swear they were always the first thing to disappear—long before the sheet cake or the ham buns. This is a true Midwestern potluck candy: only four ingredients, no fussy steps, and the slow cooker does the work while you’re ironing the graduate’s gown or pinning up old school pictures.
Bowl of chocolate cherry clusters on a graduation dessert table
Bowl of chocolate cherry clusters on a graduation dessert table
If you need something that looks special, tastes rich, and can be made ahead without a lot of fuss, these chocolate cherry clusters are the kind of recipe you’ll pass down right along with the yearbooks and photo albums.
Pile these chocolate cherry clusters into a big, pretty bowl or on a parchment-lined tray and set them right in the middle of the dessert table next to the graduation cake, bars, and cookies. They go especially well with hot coffee, a big glass of cold milk, or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you want to turn them into a simple plated dessert.
For parties, I like to tuck a few into paper candy cups so folks can grab and mingle, and at quieter family gatherings I just heap them on a platter and let everyone help themselves as they sit around reminiscing.
Slow Cooker Chocolate Cherry Clusters
Servings: 24–30 clusters, depending on size
Ingredients
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup dark chocolate chips (or additional semisweet)
1 1/2 cups maraschino cherries, well drained and chopped (plus a few extra for garnish, optional)
1 1/2 cups sliced or slivered almonds
Ingredients for chocolate cherry clusters arranged on a kitchen table
Ingredients for chocolate cherry clusters arranged on a kitchen table
Directions
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. This is where you’ll drop the finished clusters to set.
