[1] The best Halloween chocolate for the connoisseur (all photos © The Cordial Cherry).

[2] Invite these Pilgrims for Thanksgiving.

[3] Plenty of pumpkins.

[5] Flowers are always in order. This is the fall bouquet.

[6] For chocolate-loving football fans.

[7] Gingerbread men, one of the many holiday designs.

It was a happy day when we learned about The Cordial Cherry, an artisan chocolatier based in Omaha, Nebraska. For lovers of food-as-art, these are handcrafted, bite-size chocolate sculptures that happen to be filled with your choice of cordial cherries or chocolate truffles (i.e., ganache).

They are our Top Pick Of The Week, and we’ll extend that week into Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

If the words exquisite and delicious could be rolled into a portmanteau, it would be exquisilicious!

While one’s first reaction might be, “these are too lovely to eat,” one will soon give give way to temptation and eat one’s first bite. And then another, and another.

(Which is why a great gift would be the monthly subscription, but even if you begin with just a box of four pieces, it’s a memorable treat.)

We sent them for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, and now for the biggest candy day of the year, Halloween.

And as an aside, the men in our family don’t care if it’s a flower or a pumpkin; they just want great chocolate. In fact, our brother distracted us so he could scoop up the butterflies and teacups.
 
 
OUTSTANDING EDIBLE ART

This unique and delightful fusion of visual artistry and gourmet flavors makes The Cordial Cherry a must-try in the world of specialty chocolates.​

Each cherry or ganache center is enveloped in a rich chocolate shell—available in dark, milk, or white chocolate—and filled with a luscious center.

What sets these chocolates apart is their intricate, hand-crafted without the use of molds, and then hand-decorated​. Each piece is a miniature work of art.

There are dozens of choices and always new designs forthcoming, from seasonal and holiday motifs to year-round baby rattles, birthday “cupcakes,” and the entire wedding party!

For further gifting cred, the chocolates are packaged in a toile* (pronounced twal) gift box (a keeper!) and tied with natural twine and fresh greenery.

Note that the stems are removed from the cherries to prevent syrup from leaking out during shipping. The sculptures hardly need a stem in the way; and even if you choose the traditional round chocolate-covered cherries, you won’t miss it.
 
 
THE FALL MENU

For Fall, the chocolate artists have created premier cordial cherries and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate ganache truffles in the shapes of:

 
The 13 Christmas chocolates are now on the website as well, ready to amaze the chocolate lovers on your holiday list.
 
 
ORDER YOURS TODAY

Head to The Cordial Cherry now, and let your eyes feast upon the offerings.

You are very likely become a repeat customer—almost immediately.

The Cordial Cherry stands out in the world of artisanal confections that the eye and palate will long remember.

> The history of chocolate.

> The different types of chocolate: a photo glossary.

> The history of cordial cherries/cherry cordials/chocolate-covered cherries.

> The history of cherries.

> A recipe to make your own chocolate-covered cherries.

[8] With the scarecrows in the pumpkin patch.

[10] The Nativity in deliciously-filled chocolates.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF MOTHER’S DAY

Editor’s Note: We had originally hoped to publish this review for Mother’s Day. We’re doing so now anyway, but hasten to share with you:

 
The first significant mention of a “mother’s day” occurred in 1870. Julia Ward Howe, the American author, poet, abolitionist, suffragist, and lyricist of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” wrote a “Mother’s Day Proclamation,” calling for mothers to unite for peace following the Civil War.

She proposed a “Mother’s Day for Peace” but her idea didn’t gain traction.

After the death of her own mother in 1905, Anna Jarvis led the movement to found a Mother’s Day honoring mothers. Her mother had frequently expressed a desire to establish such a holiday.

After her mother’s death in 1905, Jarvis campaigned for a national day, and the first official Mother’s Day service was held in May 1908 in Grafton, West Virginia, at a church where her mother had taught.

Jarvis chose the white carnation as the symbol of the day, representing purity and endurance of motherly love.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, for families to honor and express love to mothers.

Anna Jarvis later became disillusioned with how commercialized the holiday became and spent much of her later life and inheritance fighting what she saw as misuse of the holiday by greeting card companies, florists, and other merchants who capitalized on the sentiment.

She was particularly upset about pre-printed greeting cards, which she felt represented a lack of genuine sentiment.

Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated in various forms across more than 50 countries, though not always on the same date.

While Christmas is the most commercialized holiday, in the U.S. Valentine’s Day and Halloween typically compete with Mother’s Day for the second spot.

Father’s Day did not enter the mainstream as quickly. The first official Father’s Day celebration was held on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington, but it remained a local event. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge recommended Father’s Day as a national holiday, but it took until 1966 for President Lyndon B. Johnson to issue the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon finally signed a law making Father’s Day a permanent national holiday, although Father’s Day was widely observed for decades (thanks to the commercial interests) before it became official.
 
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*A toile pattern, short for toile de Jouy (pronounced twal duh zhwee, meaning cloth of Jouy), is a type of decorative, one-color design printed on a light background, typically depicting complex pastoral scenes, floral motifs, or narrative themes. It originated in the French town of Jouy-en-Josas in the 1760s, when Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf established a factory there. The design was first made into fine cotton fabrics and later, wallpaper. Although the printing technique had roots Ireland, Oberkampf’s chic and sophisticated designs made the fabric famous and in-demand in elegant homes throughout Europe and North America. Style-setters Madame de Pompadour and Marie Antoinette were fans. Here’s more about it.
 
 

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