Chocolate Covered Candied Amarena Cherries

From just outside of Athens in the port city of Piraeus, Greece, comes my pick for the most playful confection of the year. These candied fruits are enrobed in chocolate, coated in a crackling candy shell, then decorated to look like colorful pebbles. They’re adorable enough to catch your eye, but then delicious enough to eat them anyway.

Amarena cherries are small and dark with a superb sweet-tart balance. The whole, pitted cherries are practically juicy and pack a punch of tart cherry flavor to contrast with the smooth, dark chocolate and pale green colored candy shell.