A Recipe From Nina Redding's Kitchen: Black Cherry Delight
December 07, 2023 02:45 PM
Our family loves this refreshing easy to make Jello dessert in individual servings dishes topped with lots of homemade whipped cream. I make it for Thanksgiving and its beautiful color and cold temperature makes it a nice complement to the traditional Thanksgiving menu we serve. I prepare it in individual 4 oz. jelly jars which I have an abundance in the attic! Makes 6-8 small servings.
Ingredients
3 oz. box of black cherry Jello
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 can (14.5 oz) whole pitted sweet cherries
Directions For Gelatin Mixture:
- Make Jello. Add one cup of boiling water to black cherry gelatin mix; stir until completely dissolved.
- The second cup of liquid for the Jello will be made up of the juice from the cherries and water. Open can of cherries and drain juice into a glass measuring cup. Add water to the juice in the cup to make a total of 1 cup liquid. On a cutting board, cut cherries in half then refrigerate for later use.
- Add cherry juice/water mixture to the dissolved cherry gelatin and stir.
- Place in refrigerator until partially set (it will finish firming up after you add the cherries in the next step.)
- Remove from refrigerator and stir in the chopped cherries then spoon mixture into the jelly jars leaving about ½ inch of space at top so you can add whipped cream later. Refrigerate until firm.
Directions For Whipped Cream:
- It helps to cool the beater(s) and mixing bowl ahead of time. Add one cup of heavy cream to a cold mixing bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Add ½ teaspoon vanilla and ¼ powdered sugar and continue to mix until whipped cream is firmer.
- Spoon onto cherry Jello mixture.
I make this the day before in the individual containers then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. I add the whipped cream before serving. Since heavy cream comes in pint size containers, I double the whipped cream recipe, so I have some for the pumpkin pies too. Adjust powdered sugar and vanilla to your liking. I'll admit we like our whipped cream sweet, so many times I add a bit more than the ¼ cup.
~Nina Redding