3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
48 maraschino cherries, drained
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Melt butter over low heat. Stir in evaporated milk, vanilla extract and salt. Remove from heat and gradually stir in sifted confectioners' sugar. Turn out onto a board lightly sprinkled with confectioners' sugar; work with hands until smooth. Cover cherries completely by shaping about 2 teaspoons fondant around each cherry.

Melt semisweet chocolate in double boiler. Drop fondant-covered cherries into melted chocolate to cover. Remove from chocolate with two forks. Place on wax paper to cool.

NOTE: To give chocolate a shiny, hard coating, add 1 to 2 tablespoons melted paraffin wax to chocolate.