Sometimes the best desserts don’t take a lot of fuss and this easy delight is a shining example of that. It’s made up of just three components, requires no oven time at all, and yet the end result is still a sweet and creamy treat that tastes totally indulgent.
There are three layers here, and the first is one you commonly see in no-bake desserts – a graham cracker crust! But this isn’t just any graham cracker crust, it incorporates chopped pecans too for some nutty flavor. Once that’s pressed into a baking dish, you can get to making the filling…
… which is a simple but delicious combination of cream cheese, powdered sugar, and whipped topping. The cream cheese brings in a tangy silkiness while the whipped topping keeps things airy and light.
And the final topping? Well that’s just a can of cherry pie filling! It might seem like that could be a little too sugary-sweet but rest assured that the cheesecake-like filling below does a wonderful job of balancing it.
It’s a dessert that has it all – a buttery, crunchy base, an irresistible layer of silky cheesecake flavor, and the sweet syrupy bite of cherries. While this does take some chilling time, it takes very little effort to put together and when it comes to dessert, that’s always good news. It’s a delight to eat and a delight to make!
No-Bake Cherry Delight
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 2 sleeves)
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
- 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 42 oz cherry pie filling
Preparation
- Combine graham crackers crumbs and pecans in a large bowl, and stir in melted butter until mixture resembles damp sand.
- Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish, using the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to press mixture in. Place in freezer while you make the filling.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then beat in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Gently fold in whipped topping, then spread mixture over chilled crust.
- Spread cherry pie filling evenly over the top and chill until ready to serve, at least 2 hours. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Flour on my Fingers.