Sour Cherries: 10 Delightful Summer Dessert Recipes

In a matter of weeks, depending on where you live and if you’re having a particularly lucky moment, sour cherries will be making their debut at a farmers’ market near you. If you’re a pie baker, this is an exciting time of year because these little red beauties make exquisite summer pies. But really, there’s no need to restrict sour cherries to just pie!

Sour cherries are a tart version of the plumper table cherries you’re used to seeing at the supermarket. If they’re sour, why are these so sought after by bakers and cooks? In short, sour cherries hold their shape better when baked (no one loves a gloppy cherry pie) and their tartness allows bakers to adjust the sweetness of the recipes to suit their tastes.

They don’t show up often in grocery stores because they’re so delicate, bruise easily, and have an extremely short shelf life. So when you get ahold of a bag of them, use them (or freeze them) right away! Keep your eyes peeled over the next month for sour cherries, and if you can get your hands on some we’ve got a few inspired baking ideas to get you started.

Try a Recipe:
• Sour Cherry Slab Pie – Smitten Kitchen
• Sour Cherry Crumb Cakes – Martha Stewart
• Sour Cherry Pie – Serious Eats
• Personal Sour Cherry Pies – Food in Jars
• Sunken Sour Cherry Cake – Not Quite Nigella
• Dark Chocolate Sour Cherry Brownies – Bake or Break
• Sour Cherry Frozen Yogurt – Lottie + Doof
• Sour Cherry Almond Ice Cream with Chocolate Chunks – The Kitchn
• Chocolate Chip and Sour Cherry Cookies – Coconut and Lime
• Sour Cherry Almond Thumbprint Cookies – In Good Taste

Related: Precious and Brief: Recipes for Sour Cherry Season