Food and Recipes Party Food and Drink 24 Delicious Dessert Recipes to Make with Cherries By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on April 12, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg DuPree Whether you have an abundance of fresh cherries on hand from your cherry tree, a can of cherry pie filling in your pantry, or a stockpile in the freezer that you're looking to cook up, these cherry recipes are the perfect way to use up that delicious bounty. From cupcakes to cookies to pie and more, you'll be surprised by how many different recipes there are to enjoy the flavor of cherries. While we love making cherry-filled desserts, we also enjoy a pop of fruit in our dinner dishes too. The sweet and tart flavors add bright flavor to savory meals. Fresh cherries always inspire us to get cooking or baking, but these recipes take advantage of cherries no matter the season thanks to options that call for cherry pie filling or canned cherries. From Cheerwine Cherry Cupcakes to Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies and Cherry Delight, there's a recipe for everyone on this list. The hardest part may be deciding which one of these 24 sweet cherry recipes to make first. 01 of 24 Cherries-and Cream Icebox Cake Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Cherries-and-Cream Icebox Cake It's no secret: We love an icebox here at Southern Living. Why? It's a no-bake delight that just requires you to layer whipped cream, cream cheese, cherry preserves, and graham crackers, into one make-ahead pie. 02 of 24 Cheerwine Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry-Swirl Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Cheerwine Cherry Cupcakes with Cherry-Swirl Frosting From the filling to the frosting to the cherry on top, there's no shortage of cherry flavor in these Cheerwine-inspired cupcakes. 03 of 24 Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Pineapple Cherry Dump Cake As the name implies, all you have to do is dump the ingredients for this easy cake into a baking dish and 45 minutes later you'll be enjoying it. 04 of 24 Cherry Flag Pie Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cherry Flag Pie Use fresh or frozen cherries to create this patriotic treat. 05 of 24 Cherry Delight Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Cherry Delight This classic dessert recipe comes together in just 20 minutes making it perfect for potlucks and family dinners. 06 of 24 Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies Courtesy of Damaris Phillips Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookies These sweet treats are the first recipe Southern chef Damaris Phillips ever wrote. The dough can be made-ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for up to one week and the freezer for up to six weeks. 07 of 24 Cherry-Pecan Swirl Bread Greg DuPree Recipe: Cherry-Pecan Swirl Bread Homemade bread is a labor of love, but your brunch crowd will be wowed by this masterpiece. 08 of 24 Cherry Bourbon Cheerwine Becky Luigart Stayner Recipe: Cherry Bourbon Cheerwine This totally Southern cocktail is a spin on a refreshing cherry coke. 09 of 24 Cherry Cola Salad Jennifer Causey Recipe: Cherry Cola Salad This recipe debuted in the May 1980 issue and has stayed proven to be a classic ever since. 10 of 24 Ambrosia Macaroons Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Ambrosia Macaroons The classic fruity salad is transformed into macaroons that are topped with a single maraschino cherry. 11 of 24 Christmas Wreath Pastry Southern Living Recipe: Christmas Wreath Pastry Bright cherries are added to this sweet almond ring dessert, which doesn't just have to be for the holidays. 12 of 24 Three-Layer Jello Mold Jennifer Causey Recipe: Three-Layer Mold Each layer of this congealed salad plays into the overall cool creaminess of the dish. 13 of 24 Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Recipe: Cherry-Nectarine Pandowdy Use a fork to break the pastry crust on this dessert, and watch as the crunchy crust soaks up the delicious flavor form the cherries and nectarines. 14 of 24 Cherry Pie Bars Greg DuPree Recipe: Cherry Pie Bars Aside from pantry staples, you'll need just a few ingredients to whip up these cherry-speckled treats. 15 of 24 Cherry-Pecan Brie Jim Franco Recipe: Cherry Pecan Brie Serving cherry preserves over brie is one of the most simple yet crowd-pleasing appetizers of all time. 16 of 24 Cherry Spice Cake Trifle Photo: Helen Norman Recipe: Cherry Spice Cake Trifle While we love the homemade spice cake, you can save time by using boxed spice cake mix if preferred. 17 of 24 Sparkling Cherry Limeade Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Annette Joseph; Food Styling: Cynthia Groseclose Recipe: Sparkling Cherry Limeade A fun mocktail you can garnish with margarita salt, limes, and cherries. Add a little tequila and a splash of orange liqueur for an extra kick. 18 of 24 Cherry Dump Cake Emily Laurae/Southern Living Recipe: Cherry Dump Cake Can whole pitted cherries in heavy syrup before adding to this easy cake recipe. 19 of 24 Cherry-Chocolate Thumbprints Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck Recipe: Cherry-Chocolate Thumbprints These cookies feature the irresistible flavor combination of cherry and chocolate. 20 of 24 Cherry Cobbler Micah A. Leal Recipe: Cherry Cobbler Cobbler is a easy, go-to dessert that you can whip up with few ingredients. This tart cherry recipe is no exception, with carefully chosen but select ingredients that make it delicious. 21 of 24 Cherry Turnovers Micah A. Leal Recipe: Cherry Turnovers This recipe is so good we won't judge if you serve if for breakfast, lunch, or dinner—or all of the above. 22 of 24 Spiced Coconut-Cherry Mold Hector Sanchez Recipe: Spiced Coconut-Cherry Mold This recipe is a holiday favorite, and we can't help but assume it's because the red-and-white spiced gelatin salad so clearly matches any holiday table beautifully. 23 of 24 Cherry Winks Joy Howard Recipe: Cherry Winks This throwback cookie rose to popularity in the 1950s when it won the national Pillsbury baking contest. Serve it at your next part and when you describe it as award-winning, you and your guests will understand why. 24 of 24 Mini Cherry Pies Joy Howard Recipe: Mini Cherry Pies These tiny, star-embellished treats were made for a patriotic holiday like President's Day, Veterans Day, or the Fourth of July Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit