Summer-Fresh Cherry and Berry Desserts
Ozark Blackberry Cobbler [1]
A sugared crispy pastry covers sweet juicy berries in this traditional dessert from the Monte Ne Inn near Rogers, Arkansas.
Triple Red Berry Dessert Sauce [5]
This easy blender sauce tops ice cream or angel food cake with a gorgeous red berry punch. Look for spreadable fruit in the jam/jelly section of your supermarket. The sauce has just 37 calories for a two-tablespoon serving.
Raspberry Cheesecake Bars [9]
Hopkins, Minnesota, calls itself America's Raspberry Capital and hosts an annual Raspberry Festival -- including a cooking contest. One entry was this recipe for Raspberry Cheesecake Bars, which combines layers of cheesecake and raspberry filling in an almond crust.
Triple-Berry Angel Food Cake [13]
This simple, make-ahead dessert is light and colorful. If you're preparing it for a party, save time by using store-bought angel food cake and making the berry fruit spread the day before. You can substitute some of your other favorite fruits in the sauce, if you like.
Cherry-Berry Smoothie [17]
This quick-and-easy blender drink, from the Michigan Cherry Committee, combines cherries, milk, yogurt, blueberries or raspberries, juice concentrate, honey and vanilla.
Cool tip Blender freeze-ups happen when there's not enough liquid around frozen ingredients. To solve the problem, pour liquids and soft ingredients into the blender first, then add the frozen stuff on top and blend. Still stuck? Pour in some juice or milk, then cover and blend again.
Very Berry Triple Fruit Pie [21]
Three popular fruits-- raspberries, blueberries and strawberries-- tuck into this double-crust pie recipe from Covered Bridge Farm near Forest Lake, Minnesota. The colorful filling tastes sweet, with a hint of berry tartness.
Pistachio Pavlova with Fresh Berries [25]
Mildly nutty meringue cradles fresh berries in this classic dessert named for a ballerina. Use your favorite nut to flavor the meringue. Our Test Kitchen recommends pistachios, almonds or pecans. Any fruit works: blueberries, kiwi, bananas.
Custard Parfaits with Granola [29]
This recipe makes an easy, fun layered dessert or breakfast . Use fat-free products for rich taste without extra calories. Layer most ingredients ahead, then add the granola and serve.
Chocolate-Raspberry Mousse Cake [33]
Combine raspberries with cake mix and mousse mix for this taste-tempting (and easy) chocolate delight from a Chaska, Minnesota, reader.
Berry Easy Cobbler [37]
This warm, crunch-topped cobbler calls for 3 cups of blueberries, but if you'd like a double-fruit version, reduce the blueberries to 2 cups and add 2 cups fresh or frozen tart cherries.
Berry Easy Cobbler [38]
Berries Romanoff [41]
This easy recipe makes a refreshing dessert-- perfect for a brunch or light dinner. It's also a good make-ahead recipe for entertaining; prepare the sour-cream sauce the day before your party, and then just layer the sauce and fruit in parfait glasses before serving.
Berries Romanoff [42]
Cherry-Berry Rich Shortcakes [45]
Michigan's fruit belt inspired our Cherry-Berry Rich Shortcakes. We played up the sweet cherries grown in the Great Lakes State, along with blueberries and raspberries. A shortcake biscuit base and sweetened whipped cream complete the dessert.
Lemon Blueberry Biscuits [49]
The recipe for this sweet-and-tart dessert comes from berry grower Natura Farms in Forest Lake, Minnesota. "The first time I made this for my family of seven, I doubled the batch, and we had no leftovers!" Natura's Judy Otten says.
Blackberry-Pecan Streusel Pie [53]
Precook the juicy, tart blackberry filling before pouring it in the crust. The streusel topping becomes a crunchy sugar-pecan crown.
Double Chocolate-Cherry Cookies [57]
Carol Schneider of Wausau, Wisconsin, brought home a blue ribbon when she entered these cookies at the Wisconsin State Fair. The recipe combines white and semisweet chocolate with dried cherries and walnuts.
Blueberry Almond Bars [61]
This recipe earned the title of Grand Champion at the Marshall County Fair's annual Bake-A-Rama in Plymouth, Indiana. It looks great on a serving platter sprinkled with fresh blueberries.
Michigan Tart Cherry Pie [65]
This pie from Achatz Handmade Pie Company in Chesterfield, Michigan (north of Detroit), seems basic only until you try it. Our taste panel praised how the cherryness didn't hide behind other flavors. It even draws an accent from the lemon juice's hint of tartness. A sprinkling of sugar bakes onto the top crust for a sweet crunch.
Cheesecake-Sauced Fruit Parfaits [69]
Blend just four ingredients to create this easy sauce from a Wausau, Wisconsin, reader. Serve over fresh fruit such as raspberries, blueberries or strawberries.
Strawberry-Black Walnut Shortcakes [73]
Creamy, crunchy and sweet, this dessert puts a new spin on the traditional strawberry shortcake. The recipe calls for black walnuts, but you can substitute English walnuts, if you like.
Heavenly Cherry Pie [77]
A white chocolate mousse filling and crimson cherry pie filling combine for an out-of-this-world pie from the Traverse City, Michigan, festival cookbook, Cherry Creations.
Heavenly Cherry Pie [78]
Raspberry Upside-Down Cake [81]
Whipped cream and raspberries crown easy Raspberry Upside-Down Cake, from a Hopkins, Minnesota, reader.
Very Cherry Nut Bread [85]
Maraschino cherries and almonds fill this quick bread loaf with color and flavor. It's a favorite from the National Cherry Festival cookbook.
Blueberry Twisties [89]
This tender, sweet bread, filled with blueberry spread and drizzled with icing, won best of show at the Marshall County Fair in Plymouth, Indiana. A blueberry baker from Argos, Indiana, entered the treat.
Blueberry Twisties [90]
Tart Cherry Half-Pound Cake [93]
Pound cakes traditionally are made with a pound each of sugar, butter, flour and eggs. This recipe, from Chicago cookbook authors Barry Bluestein and Kevin Morrissey, uses closer to a half-pound of each main ingredient. "We've also added a bit of milk, so the cake is lighter and moister," the authors say.
Ruby Scones [97]
Bright maraschino cherries, coconut and ginger flavor this biscuitlike scone. Drizzle with icing or top with coarse sugar.
Ruby Scones [98]
Raspberry-Ginger Cobbler [101]
This tangy cobbler is one of the inventive dishes served by The Story Inn, a tin-fronted general store that new constitutes almost the entire town of Story (population: 7) in Brown County, Indiana.
Raspberry-Ginger Cobbler [102]
Almond-Cranberry Bread with White Chocolate Glaze [105]
Sweet bread balances tangy cranberries in this winning recipe from the 2009 Wisconsin State Fair. Wrap and store it overnight to make it easier to slice and less crumbly.
Chocolate Cherry Mini Cheesecakes [109]
Vanilla wafers make instant crusts for these individual cheesecakes. Top with chocolate shavings or small whole or sliced strawberries, if you like.