Cherry Cheesecake

From: An old index card

Ingredients:
2 packages (one 8 oz, one 3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 carton (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 shortbread or graham cracker crust
1 can cherry pie filling

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping; spoon into crust. Top with pie filling. Refrigerate until serving.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I love cherry pies. This is so simple and you can throw it together at the last minute if you need it for a party or luncheon. I definitely recommend this one! 

Cherry-Fudge Cake

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
1 package devil's food cake mix
1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 Tbsp butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Preheat oven to 350. Beat first 4 ingredients at low speed with mix 20 seconds; increase speed to medium, and beat 1 minute. Pour batter into a greased and floured 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 27-30 minutes or until done. Bring sugar, milk, and butter to a boil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally; boil 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate morsels until melted and smooth. Quickly spread frosting over warm cake. Cool completely.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Very delicious, easy to make, and got better over the three days it took for us to eat it!

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

From: Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Ingredients:
2 8-oz packages softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
24 vanilla wafer cookies
24 cupcake liners
1 can cherry pie filling, chilled

Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. Put one vanilla wafer cookie in the bottom of each cupcake paper, flat side down. So easy a 2-year old can do it!

Mix the cream cheese with the sugar until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Then mix in the lemon juice and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Place three cherries on each cheesecake and divide the juice equally among them. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Best recipe ever!! I am a cheesecake addict, so these are heaven to me because it's cheesecake without all the drama of a springform pan. YES! I used vanilla wafer cookies from the dollar store, so you definitely don't need name-brand for these. I was worried because they looked like they'd be a little small but once everything chilled and solidified it was perfect. This recipe only made about 18 for me, though, so I was able to put 4 cherries on each one and still have leftover pie filling. It took just about the 20-minute mark for mine to cook all the way through, so do watch that.

Mini Cherry Cheesecakes

Ingredients:
2 8-oz packages softened cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
24 vanilla wafer cookies
24 cupcake liners
1 can cherry pie filling, chilled

Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners. Put one vanilla wafer cookie in the bottom of each cupcake paper, flat side down. Mix the cream cheese with the sugar until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Then mix in the lemon juice and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Place three cherries on each cheesecake and divide the juice equally among them. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Ingredients:
1 box Devils Food Cake mix
1 1/2 cup cherry pie filling
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Mix all ingredients well by hand. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Remove from cookie sheet and let cool. Frost with icing if desired. Don't store in an airtight container - they might be too soft.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Neutral. I won't be making these again but for some reason they're strangely addictive! I bet I ate a dozen of these even though I didn't think they were fabulous. They were definitely easy, that's for sure. I think it's the consistency that gets me - they're really soft. Like I said though, very easy to make and easy to snack on. They're just not something I'd make in the future probably.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 box Devils Food Cake mix
1 1/2 cup cherry pie filling
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Mix all ingredients well by hand. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Remove from cookie sheet and let cool. Frost with icing if desired. Don't store in an airtight container - they might be too soft.