Merry Cherry Fudge

This comes from "Christmas with Southern Living 2000."

• Ready In: 2 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 36
• Yields: 2 pounds

Ingredients

•  vegetable oil cooking spray
• 36  maraschino cherries, with stems
• 1 (12 ounce) package  semisweet chocolate morsels
• 6 (1 ounce)  bittersweet chocolate squares, chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1  teaspoon maraschino cherry juice
• 1  cup  chopped pecans

Directions

1. Lightly coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Blot cherries dry with paper towels.
2. Combine chocolates in a heavy saucepan; place over very low heat, and stir constantly until melted and smooth.
3. Remove from heat, and stir in sweetened condensed milk and cherry juice. Stir in pecans.
4. Smooth mixture into prepared pan. Immediately press cherries into fudge, leaving top of each cherry and stem exposed.
5. Cover and chill fudge 2 hours or until firm.
6. Cut fudge into 36 squares. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.