Homemade Cherry Delight

This is a recipe for Cherry Delight.

It's a delicious dessert that I typically make around the 4th of July (cherry season in Michigan).

It has a graham cracker crust, cream cheese & whipped cream filling with cherry topping.

Cherry topping:

*Note: You can use canned cherry pie filling if you want.

First, pit the cherries.

(3 cups pitted sweet cherries)

I have a blog post here on how to pit the cherries.

Put them in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. You can add 1 Tbs lemon juice to add some tartness to the cherries too.

Heat over medium or med-low heat and bring to boil.

Mix 2 Tbs cornstarch and 2 Tbs water in a little bowl until smooth.

Gradually pour the mixture into the boiling cherries while stirring, then turn off heat.

Then pour the mixture into a heat-resistant bowl.

I used a 4-cup pyrex measuring cup.

Let it sit to cool down for a bit (10-15 mins) and then put it in the fridge. It needs to be at least room temperature or cooler before pouring on top of dessert.

I continue making the rest of the dessert while the cherry topping is cooling in the fridge....

Graham Cracker Crust:

Next is the graham cracker crust.

First step is to crush the graham crackers. You need 2 packages of graham crackers (2/3 of a box). It should come to 2 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs after crushing them.

I use my food processor because it's so much easier and faster. You can also put the graham crackers in a plastic ziplock bag and beat them or roll them with a rolling pin.

If you do use a food processor, break the graham crackers into smaller pieces like this picture.

Let the food processor run until the graham crackers are finely ground.

Transfer graham cracker crumbs into a mixing bowl and add 1/3 cup sugar.

Next melt 2/3 cup butter and pour into graham crumbs - stir until thoroughly mixed.

Pour the graham cracker mixture into a 13 x 9 pan.

Press evenly so it forms a crust, then put in the fridge until you're ready to fill it.

Cream Cheese Filling:

First part is making the whipped cream.

*Tip: It's better to use a metal bowl when making whipped cream. Freeze the bowl for 30 seconds along with the metal mixers before whipping. Also make sure the whipping cream is very cold before whipping.

Pour 1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream into bowl and 2 Tbs powdered sugar.

Beat with electric mixer until it looks like whipped cream.

Set whipped cream aside.

In a separate bowl, beat 16 oz (2 packages) cream cheese - room temp, 2 tsp vanilla and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with electric mixer until smooth. 

Next add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture.

Mix until smooth. It should look like this:

Pour the cream cheese filling into the graham cracker crust.

Spread it smooth.

Take the cooled cherry topping and pour it over the top evenly.

Spread it around gently with a spoon to make sure the top is evenly covered.

Put it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.

It gets firmer the longer it's in the fridge, so it's preferable to leave it in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving, or overnight.

Mmmm....

Cherry Delight Recipe:

Pan size - 13 x 9

Ingredients:

Cherry Topping:

*Note: You can substitute a can of cherry pie filling if you want to save time, but it won't be as yummy.

• 3 cups pitted sweet cherries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch, plus 2 tablespoons water

Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (2 packages graham crackers crushed up)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup melted butter

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 16 oz (2 pkgs) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 pint (2 cups) heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions: To make cherry topping, first pit cherries. (How to remove the pit of a cherry). Put cherries, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a pot over medium heat; bring to boil. Mix 2 tbs water & 2 tbs cornstarch in small bowl, then add to cherry mixture and stir until well mixed. Remove from heat and pour into a heat-resistant bowl; let cool. After it's cooled down a bit (10-15 minutes), place in refrigerator, stirring occasionally, until ready to use. It needs to be at least room temperature or cooler before pouring on cream cheese filling.

To make the graham cracker crust, take two packages of graham crackers (2/3 of box) and crush into crumbs (it should make 2 1/2 cups of crumbs.) Put crumbs into a bowl and add 1/3 cup sugar, then stir. Melt 2/3 cup butter and add to graham cracker crumbs; stir until well mixed. Press into a 13 x 9 pan to form the crust, then place in refrigerator until ready to use later.

For cream cheese filling, first make the whipped cream. In a medium bowl, beat 1 pint heavy whipping cream and 2 tbs powdered sugar with an electric mixer. Mix until it has soft peaks and looks like whipped cream; set aside. In another bowl, mix 16 oz cream cheese, vanilla and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar until smooth, scraping sides as needed. Then add the whipped cream and beat until well mixed.

Pour the cream cheese filling into graham cracker crust and spread smooth. Take the cherry topping out of the fridge and make sure it's cooled down enough, otherwise it'll melt the cream cheese/whipped cream. Pour it evenly over the top of the cream cheese filling, covering the top completely. Put the dessert back in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving (it's better to refrigerator it for a few hours before serving so the filling gets firmer.) Then it's ready to eat! Enjoy!