These seasonally available cherries are one of my favorite fruits, and I look forward to eating them whenever they are available, especially in cherry desserts.
It’s hard to resist the sweet, juicy, and tangy flavor of cherries! (Has anyone been able to stop at just a couple? Or even just a handful?)
They taste better when they are fresh and ripe.
In case you didn’t know, cherries come in a variety of species and flavors.
The most popular would be bing, which is known for its sweet-tart and fruity flavor.
Their flavor is why home cooks often use bing cherries in their homemade ice cream or cobbler.
On the other hand, Rainier cherries have a floral and caramel flavor, making them great for pie or bars.
Black Tartarian gives out berry and tart notes, while lambert cherries offer a luscious sweet taste perfect for jams and sauces.
Another remarkable thing about them is how versatile they are as an ingredient!
You can use them in lots of cherry dessert recipes, which you may be familiar with, like the star in cherry clafoutis, dried in granola, or canned in fruit cocktail.
But cherries are also the hero in dishes, such as cooked down and spooned over chicken and as topping on pizza.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer your cherries on top, in the middle, or as a sweet glaze; there is a recipe out there that will make your mouth water.
In this post, you will find recipes for various desserts, such as the infamous Black Forest Cake, Cherry Pie Crumb Bars, and Cherry Ice Cream, that will satisfy your sweet tooth.
What’s your favorite cherry dessert recipe? Maybe we can help you choose through our list.
In fact, we have here 34 of our favorite ways to use cherries in dessert recipes to ensure that you get the most out of your seasonal fruit.
Get ready to try one of these cherry dessert recipes—I am confident they will keep you looking forward to your next dessert buffet with cherries as the star!
When you are looking for desserts to make with cherries, try this French recipe.
Cherry Clafoutis is a slightly creamy dessert that sounds extravagant but is a breeze to make.
Most of the ingredients are probably in your pantry, and you can use fresh or canned cherries.
If you want to add another layer of flavor, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top before serving.
If you are looking for easy cherry desserts, you can’t go wrong with this recipe.
A Cherry Danish is for dessert or a special breakfast.
You get a light and flaky crust filled with cherries and cream cheese.
What better way to start your day than with a cherry Danish?
This classic cherry dessert recipe never disappoints.
The simple three-layer dessert uses a graham cracker crust to keep it from becoming too heavy, and the cream cheese filling adds the right amount of sweetness.
It’s also easy and inexpensive to make, and you only need a few ingredients.
One of the best cherry desserts is a simple crumb bar. It’s ideal for summer.
The bars are light, not too sweet, and not overly filling. The crumb topping is crunchy and a complement to the cherry filling.
If you don’t have fresh cherries, frozen ones will work fine.
You do want to thaw frozen fruit before adding it to the bars.
There are plenty of dessert recipes with cherries, and this is a popular one.
With this easy cherry cobbler recipe, you get a crunchy topping and moist cake.
Add in the cherry filling, and you have a dessert people will come back for.
It’s the best of both worlds and a good choice for when you can’t decide on a dessert.
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Imagine fresh cherries, cheesecake, and fudge brownies combined into one tasty dessert.
It’s what you get with this cherry cheesecake brownie recipe.
You can bake the brownies in a muffin pan for easy cleanup or in a baking pan.
Be sure to grease the pan to prevent the brownies and cherry filling from sticking to the edges.
Get ready to add a scoop of ice cream when you serve this cherry cream cheese cobbler. Whipped cream is another option.
It’s an easy recipe to follow, and you don’t need a lot of ingredients.
Even though this recipe calls for cherry filling, you can easily substitute it with another of your favorite fruits.
Try it with apples or blueberries and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
8. Cherry Crisp
This recipe tastes like it took hours to make.
You can use sweet or tart cherries; both work great with the buttery and crisp oatmeal topping.
The brown sugar gives the topping the right amount of sweetness.
Adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream will enhance the cherries’ flavor.
Grab some cherries; you want to use pitted ones. A cherry pitter works great if you don’t have any fruit without pits.
It’s sweet enough to handle any craving, and it can also be part of a lighter breakfast.
Add in some milk, yogurt, honey, vanilla, cherry juice, and your favorite berries, mix in a blender with ice, and you have a cherry dessert you can drink on the go.
These are not your typical cherry bars; it’s a biscotti filled with small fruits.
Almond and orange flavors bring out the cherries’ tart flavor, and the twice-baked cookie is crispy and airy.
Partner with a hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk for dipping the biscotti in your drink.
It slightly softens the cookie and adds another layer of flavor.
When it comes to our favorite cherry desserts, it’s hard to beat the fresh fruit dipped in chocolate.
Whether you use milk or dark chocolate, you can make chocolate-covered cherries that look and taste as if they came from a candy shop with this recipe.
When you are looking for cherries that go really well with dark or milk chocolate, choose maraschinos. They have the right flavor and size to dip in chocolate.
Of course, cherry cordials are another option, but traditionally have an alcohol center.
One dessert you don’t want to forget to make during cherry season is chocolate cherry ice cream cake.
It’s refreshing and wonderfully packed with the delight of cherries AND chocolate. It’s also not hard to make because you only need to spread the softened, store-bought ice cream on top of your box-mix cake.
Also, this easy cherry dessert uses a store-bought cake mix, cherry ice cream, and some fudge to drizzle on top.
With fruits and nuts, this decadent recipe will satisfy everyone’s taste buds.
The blond brownies have dried cherries and almonds that give the cherry bars its crunch.
Delicate, deep-fried marcona almonds are a completely different mouthfeel than regular roasted almonds.
Switch out the sugar for natural honey. You get a sweet taste with a nice depth of flavor
These cherry snack bars will do the trick if you want healthier eating options without giving up sweets.
Made from seeds, nuts, chocolate, and cherries, it’s a satisfying snack that takes care of your cravings for sweets.
Add a lemon zest to the bars to give them a little zing.
White chocolate chips work great with this easy recipe, but you can also use semi-sweet morsels.
If you can’t decide, use white chocolate for one batch and dark morsels the next time.
Use brown sugar instead of white to give the cherry bars a caramel flavor. It also helps the dough stay soft and moist.
16. Cherry Fluff
The Cherry Fluff isn’t your typical salad. Instead of lettuce as the base, you use whipped topping.
You’ll also need crushed pineapple, milk, shredded coconut, marshmallows, and cherry pie filling for this recipe.
It’s a quick-to-make summer dessert to serve friends and family because all you need is to whip the ingredients together and leave it in the fridge for an hour.
Voila! Your Cherry Fluff is ready to serve.
17. Cherry Pie Bars
Cherry pie bars are easy to make with pie filling. You can also use fresh or frozen fruit if you want to make the filling from scratch.
These pie bars are fantastic for holidays and other special occasions because of how festive they look.
Since they are a breeze to make, you won’t mind being the person in charge of dessert.
If you are looking for easy and mouthwatering cherry desserts, these cookies are the answer.
The shortbread cookie base combined with the juicy cherries goes together so well.
Add a light vanilla glaze to the cookies after baking to send the flavor over the top.
Imagine chocolate layered with pudding, whipped cream, and juicy cherries.
This dessert is easy to make and will impress friends and family.
Great for using up leftover cake. Trifle is just another name for “throw in all the leftovers until it looks pretty” kind of dessert.
Garnish servings with a fresh cherry or two on top.
You don’t need an ice cream maker or a churn with this recipe.
All you need are frozen cherries, condensed milk, and whipped cream.
Save the juice from the frozen cherries. It will add extra flavor to the ice cream.
Since you use frozen cherries, you don’t have to wait for the pitted fruit to come into season.
21. Cherry Galette
Cherry Galette is an unassuming pie that tastes amazing.
The sour, juicy cherries work beautifully with the flaky, golden-brown crust.
Serve with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.
Sour cherry hand pies may become your next family favorite.
You can take your pie to go, though you want to bring a napkin to catch the juice from the cherries.
The buttery crust complements the tart cherries.
You can enhance the flavor by adding cherry cocktail bitters, whole vanilla bean extract, and balsamic vinegar.
Who knew combining cherry preserves, rolled oats, and sliced almonds would make such luscious dessert bars?
The flavors bring out the best in each other, especially the juicy cherries.
This easy recipe is also great for Halloween. Switch out the cherries for orange preserves.
Not only does this cherry-berry pie taste delightful, but it’s also pretty to look at.
Even the crust looks intricate; it is still a breeze to make.
Along with your cherry pie filling, add in some frozen or fresh raspberries.
It’s amazing what happens to the flavor when you combine the two fruits.
It’s not only kids that love these popsicles; they are also a hit with adults.
Anyone that loves the taste of cherry limeade in the summer will enjoy this refreshing treat.
Along with dark, red cherries and lime juice, you also need a zucchini.
It helps the ingredients bind together during freezing.
If you love eggrolls, this recipe is one you want to try.
It’s an easy recipe to follow, and it doesn’t require a lot of ingredients.
Along with cream cheese and cherry filling, you also need egg roll wrappers.
You can usually find them in your grocery store’s produce aisle.
Maraschino cherries are available year-round, making these fabulous cookies for Christmas or Valentine’s Day.
The golden-brown cookie holds a sweet surprise. Inside of each one is a juicy cherry and smooth cream cheese.
28. Cherry Bounce
This historic drink dates back to the colonial period, and it’s a shame it went out of fashion.
The drink is a mix of fresh cherries, sugar, spices, and brandy.
The sweet cordial was even a favorite of George Washington.
This recipe is an excellent finger-food dessert to celebrate a holiday or other special occasion.
Along with dried cherries, you also need white chocolate chips and some almond extract.
The almond extract gives the fudge a nutty taste that goes great with the tart flavor from the fruit.
Make a bunch and package pieces of this White Chocolate Cherry Fudge into gift boxes as presents for any occasion.
30. Cherry Sauce
Imagine all of the possibilities you have with cherry sauce.
The juicy fruit makes a sweet and deadent sauce you can use to cover ice cream, cookies, bars, yogurt, and so much more.
It’s an easy recipe to make, and you can store the sauce in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Anyone that loves cherry mash candy will fall for cherry mash truffles.
It’s another take on the popular candy, and the truffles are a breeze to make.
Use cherry flavoring for the center and add some peanuts for a bit of crunch and texture.
Dip the centers in melted chocolate and serve when cool.
Kolaches are breakfast pastries usually filled with meats and cheese, but you can also use juicy cherries.
Add in some poppy seeds, and you have a luscious filling that goes well with the lightly sweet bread.
The combination of the juicy fruit and baked custard sauce is hard to beat.
It’s an easy delicious recipe to follow, but don’t rush the baking time.
It’s tempting to take the custard pie out of the oven early, but you won’t get that golden-brown crust.
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When you think of cherry desserts, black forest cake often comes to mind.
It’s decadent and rich; it is also easier to make than you may think.
With fresh cherries and cherry liqueur, you also need whipped cream for the light and fluffy frosting.
Bottom line
There isn’t a shortage of cherry dessert recipes. You can find one for every day of the year.
For cherries lovers, this is great news.
What’s even better is these recipes are easy to make.
So, grab a bowl of cherries, find your favorite recipe, and start baking your next favorite cherry dessert.
Mix it up with even more ruby red fruits! 17 Can-Do Cranberry Desserts are saving the day if you feel like having some cranberries instead of cherries.
34 WOW Cherry Dessert Recipe Assortment
Enjoy our 34 Ways to Use Cherries in Dessert Recipes. Choose your new favorite cherry desserts from our list!
Ingredients
- Cherry Clafoutis
- Cherry Danish
- Classic Cherry Delight
- Cherry Pie Crumb Bars
- Easy Cherry Cobbler
- Cherry Cheesecake Brownies
- Cherry Cream Cheese Cobbler
- Cherry Crisp
- Cherry Berry Smoothie
- Cherry Biscotti Recipe
- Chocolate Covered Cherries
- Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream Cake
- Cherry-Honey Blondies with Marcona Almonds
- Chocolate-Cherry Snack Bars
- Chocolate Chip Cherry Bars
- Cherry Fluff
- Cherry Pie Bars
- Cherry Pie Shortbread Cookies
- Easy Chocolate Cherry Trifle
- Quick & Easy Homemade Cherry Ice Cream
- Cherry Galette
- Sour Cherry Hand Pies
- Chewy Cherry Almond Bars
- Cherry-Berry Streusel Pie
- Cherry Limeade Popsicles
- Cherry Cheesecake Egg Rolls
- Maraschino Cherry Cookies
- Cherry Bounce
- White Chocolate Cherry Fudge
- Cherry Sauce
- Cherry Mash Truffles
- Sour Cherry Fruit Kolache
- Cherry Custard Pie
- Black Forest Cake
Instructions
- Choose your favorite Cherry Dessert from our list.
- Mix and match them to make a new interesting dessert.
- Play around with the plating.
- Enjoy your dessert!