Roasted Cherry Parfaits Recipe
These easy Roasted Cherry Parfaits topped with toasted almonds are a delicious breakfast or dessert for any occasion.
Fresh cherries when in season are such a treat. They’re gorgeous! Like edible rubies. Giant edible rubies. Cherries are perfect for so many different dishes. With fresh cherries on hand I was tempted to go with a summery cobbler or crisp, since they’re always nice with fresh fruit, but I’ve been trying to keep things on the lighter side and simple, so I decided on a using them in a Roasted Cherry Parfaits that could be enjoyed for breakfast, dessert or as a delicious snack.
Some of the best cherries I’ve had over the years are the Cherry Oh! Cherries from Harry and David. Tasty bites of goodness they are! If you ever get the chance to try some, do pass it up. They are totally delectable on their own, but also perfect in desserts like this parfait.
This dessert is so very easy to make. Begin by tossing the fresh pitted cherries with balsamic vinegar. Make sure to spurge on good balsamic vinegar for these parfaits. A little goes a long way and will last a good amount of time. Let the cherries and balsamic vinegar mingle for a while. Then the marinated cherries hit the oven for a short time. Roasting always brings out such wonderful flavor in foods, and fresh cherries are no exception. The roasted cherries are perfect for a topping on ice cream or pound cake too. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. They are addicting.
Toasted slivered almonds and/or shredded coconut is perfect for layering in this parfait. A bit of a nutty crunch adds a nice balance to the parfait. Either almonds or coconut would be great alone, but I had both on hand so I used a combo.
Here’s a little roasting/toasting tip/shortcut for this recipe: I placed the cherries on one side of a large baking sheet and added the almonds and coconut in the last 5 minutes of roasting to toast them. One less dirty pan is always good in my book.
Once everything is roasted or toasted, layer the ingredients with greek yogurt that was sweetened with honey. For more of a dessert version, use whipped heavy cream, sweetened with honey instead of the yogurt. Nothing beats a simple sweet parfait. Enjoy!
- 1 pound fresh cherries, pitted and halved
- 2 tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup slivered almonds or shredded coconut (I used a ½ cup of each)
- 1 cup of heavy cream, whipped, or greek yogurt
- honey, sweeten to taste
- Preheat oven to 400-degrees F.
- Toss cherries with balsamic vinegar and let marinade for at least 30 minutes.
- On a roasting pan, evenly spread balsamic covered cherries and roast for 25 minutes.
- On a roasting pan (or the same pan – see tip below*), spread the slivered almonds and/or toasted coconut, add to the oven and roast the cherries and almonds/coconut for an additional 5 minutes.
- Separately, sweeten whipped cream or greek yogurt to taste with honey.
- Layer all ingredients evenly between dishes.
- (Makes approximately 4¾ cup parfaits.)
Originally posted July 18, 2012. Updated August 19, 2015.
(This post was sponsored by Harry and David, but as always, all opinions are my own. Cherry Oh! Cherries rock, man. I’m a fan.)
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oh my, roasting cherries sounds heavenly Amy. I love the simplicity of this. This is my kind of dessert!!
What a great way to enjoy cherries! Yum!
Oh my! That parfait looks amazing!!
I have a perfect VANILLA BALSAMIC. . . yes, please.
GOrgeous photos! Love how you formatted the recipe/ingredients with the options and alternatives. Perfect summer dessert right here!
Oh, Amy. Amy, Amy, Amy. I cannot handle the gorgeousness!!!
I just went through 6 pounds of cherries and still want MORE. Looks gorg Amy!
i’ve never ever thought to roast cherries and i’m pretty sure you just changed my life!
Holy roasted cherry heaven! Those are too good… simple, gorgeous and healthy 😀
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! I don’t think cherries have ever looked so good!
Drool! Amy this looks so good. I have to admit I am not a huge fan of fresh cherries, but I could definitely do this yumminess!!!
That IS simple and so sublime! LOVE the way you’re doing your ingredient graphic–very cool.
I absolutely adore roasting fruit. Aadd balsamic and I am all in. I love this Amy!
THIS is a fantastic idea. I bet you could turn this into a killer granola, too! LOVE!
Mmm this sounds awesome!
I’ve roasted many things, but not yet cherries. I can only imagine how good they are with the balsamic. Beautiful parfaits!
Fruit and a good blasamic is one of my fave combos so i know this is divine!!
oh Amy – these look absolutely fabulous – easy, great flavors and beautiful pics to boot!!
This is brilliant, Amy (and that first graphic is beautiful!!)
Looks delicious. I must try this.
Sounds fabulous.
Gorgeous treat, Amy! I love the roasted cherries and balsamic combo. Heaven!
Ooh… Roasted cherries sound absolutely divine. I could eat one of these lovely parfaits for breakfast!
What a perfect light and fruity dessert. Love it!
I just tried this–roasting the halved, pitted cherries–the vinegar burned and the cherries started to burn, too. I’ve been looking at other recipes for roasted cherries and I found 30 minutes at 400F for whole cherries, 15 minutes for halved, and some recipes call for stirring the cherries a few times to help prevent burning. I’ll try this again, but just wanted to share my experience with anyone who tries this… keep an eye on the cherries.
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