Here are two excellent, easy recipes cherry recipes sure to be the hit of your next football party or tailgate!
Both of these recipes call for cherry pie filling. We highly recommend you make your own using our frozen tart cherries grown right here in Leelanau County!
CHERRY CHEESECAKE DIP
Ingredients:
8oz cream cheese, softened
3.75 oz (1/2 of a 7oz jar) Marshmallow creme
8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
2 cups cherry pie filling
Vanilla Wafers, graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers
In a medium size bowl beat cream cheese and marshmallow crème until well combined. Add Cool Whip and mix to combine.
Spread into a 2 quart dish or plate. Top with cherry pie filling. Serve with graham crackers and vanilla wafers.
CHERRY PIE BARS
Bars:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups cherry pie filling
Glaze:
1 ¼ cups confectioners sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons milk (may take a little more to get to that right consistency to drizzle the glaze)
Directions:
Bars:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 15x10x1 jelly roll pan with cooking spray; set aside.
In a large bowl, add the butter, sugar and salt, beat until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, again scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add extracts and beat well.
Gradually add the flour and mix well to incorporate.
Spread 75% of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. The dough will be sticky so it will take some time to get the dough spread out evenly in the pan. Top with the pie filling, leaving a ¼” margin from the edges of the pan. Drop the remaining dough in about 1 teaspoon size drops over the filling. It will flatten out some while baking. Bake bar for 35 minutes or until edges and top is very lightly brown. Allow bars to cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
Glaze:
In a medium size bowl mix confectioners sugar, extracts and the amount of milk to get a desired consistency to drizzle over the bars. Evenly drizzle over the bars.