Cherry Cheese Delight Dessert

If your looking for a summer dessert that tastes like cheesecake that you don't have to bake, this is it.   To Read More, Click On The Recipe Title.


This is another one of those dessert recipes that I've had for years. I always made this with canned cherry pie filling and Dream Whip but today I made everything from scratch. I had fresh cherries to make a homemade pie filling with and whipping cream to use . And again what a difference from prepared foods to the real deal! The cherry pie filling was so easy to make and was done in about 15 minutes. That doesn't include pitting the cherries, I did that yesterday.



Here's a picture of the cherry pie filling after it was made. There is no food dye just the beautiful red color from the cherries. This is an easy dessert to make and well worth the effort of making the filling and using whipping cream. It comes together very simply, a graham cracker crust, cream cheese, whipped cream (made from the Secret Chef's whipped Cream Recipe) and powdered sugar. That's it, it doesn't get any easier than that!  The original version using cherry pie filling is below the homemade recipe.


Cherry Cheese Delight Dessert

Cherry Pie filling ( recipe will follow)
Use the whole recipe for the Secret Chef's Whipping Cream. ( recipe will follow)
1 8 ounce pkg cream cheese softened
1 cup powdered sugar.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar until well blended. Fold in the Secret Chef's Whipping Cream and place in the graham cracker crust you have prepared. Top with the cherry pie filling and refrigerate.

Graham Cracker Crust :
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
4 tbls butter, melted

Mix the crumbs and melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9 inch square baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.


Here are recipes for the whipped cream and and cherry pie filling.


CHEF'S SECRET WHIPPED CREAM
Taste of Home Forum
MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS WHIPPED CREAM
1 ENVELOPE KNOX UNFLAVORED GELATIN
1/4 C. COLD WATER
2 C. (1 PT.) WHIPPING OR HEAVY CREAM
1/2 C. CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR

CHILL LARGE MIXING BOWL @ LEAST 15 MINUTES. MEANWHILE, IN A SMALL SAUCEPAN, SPRINKLE UNFLAVORED GELATIN OVER COLD WATER; LET STAND 1 MINUTE. STIR OVER LOW HEAT UNTIL GELATIN IS COMPLETELY DISSOLVED, ABOUT 2 MINUTES. IN CHILLED BOWL, WHILE BEATING CREAM ON LOW SPEED, GRADUALLY ADD GELATIN MIXTURE, THEN BEAT ON MEDIUM SPEED UNTIL THICKENED, ABOUT 5 MINUTES. ADD SUGAR, THEN BEAT UNTIL SOFT PEAKS FORM, ABOUT 2 MINUTES.HINT-- IF YOU PLAN TO PIPE THE CREAM, WHIP CREAM UNTIL STIFF PEAKS FORM.VARIATION-- FOR A FLAVORED WHIPPED CREAM, SIMPLY ADD YOUR FAVORITE EXTRACTS OR LIQUEURS, TO TASTE, WITH GELATIN MIXTURE, THEN PROCEED AS ABOVE..

Homemade Cherry Pie filling
tammysrecipes.com

Yield: About 3 cups
Ingredients:

3 c pitted sour cherries1 1/2 c sugarclear jel or cornstarch, for thickening
Instructions:
1. Combine fruit and sugar in a pan and stir together. Bring to a boil.
2. Mix cornstarch or clear jel* with some cold water or reserved cherry juice (about 1/3 c of each), whisking to remove lumps.
3. When cherries are boiling, add thickening while stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add enough thickening to make the consistency you desire.

Original version using canned cherry pie filling

If you prefer the simpler version for the Cherry Cheese Delight here it is:

1 pk Dream Whip ( prepared as per directions on pkg) I have also used 1 contain of Cool Whip for this
1 8 ounce cream cheese , softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 can cherry pie filling
Use the same directions for mixing the cream cheese and sugar as in the homemade version and just fold in Dream Whip.