Life
11 Fresh Cherry Recipes So You Can Celebrate Stone Fruit Season Right
Cherries just want you to love them. Sure, you see them all year round — dried or drunk on Maraschino — but when was the last time you had them fresh, right out of the bag? You already eat watermelons by the slice and strawberries by the pound, but cherries? They’re the shriveled things in your granola, the lonely fruit drowned in your cocktails.
Now that they’re are back in season, let’s treat cherries right. On your next farmers market binge, pick up a bag — or four — and then turn it into breakfast, dinner, and dessert, all season long. Bake them, roast them, and if you must have them boozy, at least do it yourself. This summer, we’re celebrating cherries at their best.
Image: Half Baked Harvest
Chocolate Bread
Chocolate and cherries are the power couple of summer. Let them show you what they’re made of in A Pastry Affair’s rustic loaf.
Image: A Pastry Affair
Roasted Cherry Couscous
Yes, cherries belong in your lunch and dinner, too. Half Baked Harvest roasts hers and throws them into a hearty couscous.
Image: Half Baked Harvest
Braised Rabbit
Got someone to impress? Wild Greens and Sardines has the dish for you. This braised rabbit gets a tart kick from dried cherries, but we think it would be divine with fresh ones, stewed to perfection.
Image: Wild Greens and Sardines
Barbecue Sauce
Surprise! Cherries make a mean sweet-meets-savory barbecue sauce over at The Scrumptious Pumpkin.
Image: The Scrumptious Pumpkin
Amaretto Sour
Look, we love a good Maraschino cherry, but if you want your cocktails done right, you’re going to need some fresh fruit. Lady and Pups creates her own cherry syrup for this classic amaretto sour.
Image: Lady and Pups
Macedonia di Frutta
Think of this as fruit salad on steroids. It’s the best way to use your fresh cherries, with just a little lemon and honey to dress them up. Our friends at Green Kitchen Stories top theirs with an airy custard.
Image: Green Kitchen Stories
Perfect, Chewy Cookies
You already love white chocolate chip cookies. Get ready to blow your mind with Moonblush Baker’s cherry-studded take on the classic.
Image: Moonblush Baker
Tea Cakes
If you ask us, afternoon tea is the best meal of the day — and it’s even better with cherry tea cakes. Thanks, Technicolor Kitchen!
Image: Technicolor Kitchen
Bourbon Milkshakes
This milkshake is so much more than the cherry on top. How Sweet Eats fires up her cherries in the oven before blending them with ice cream, milk, and bourbon. Now that’s how a milkshake is done.
Image: How Sweet Eats
Vanilla Bourbon Pie
You can’t do summer without a cherry pie, and Half Baked Harvest has just the thing. This recipe pairs cherries with blueberries for a glorious, all-American dessert — with a sneaky hint of bourbon, just because.
Image: Half Baked Harvest