Cherry Icebox Dessert
A much-loved family recipe, this dessert hits all the right notes – layers of cookie crust, sweet custard and tart cherries mixed with whipped cream! Let it set in the refrigerator overnight and enjoy this deliciously chilled dessert!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: overnight chill
- Total Time: 8 hours
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 & 1/2 cups (about 4.5 ounces) crushed Nilla Wafer cookies, separated
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 & 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups fresh cherries*, pitted and sliced in half
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the Nilla Wafers into a fine crumb texture. Spread 1 cup of the crumbs on the bottom of a 8×8 pan. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar on low heat. Stir constantly with a wire whisk until fully combined. Remove from heat and let cool for 2 minutes.
- Temper the egg by adding a spoonful of the butter mixture to the beaten egg and whisk together. Add the egg to the rest of the butter mixture and fully combine with a wire whisk. Pour mixture over the crumbs in the 8×8 pan. Put in the refrigerator to set for at least one hour.
- With an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream and 3 Tablespoons of powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the dessert.
- Fold the cherries and chopped pecans into the whipped cream. Spread over the set custard. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Nilla Wafer crumbs on top.
- Chill the dessert for at least 3 hours. Chilling overnight will be even better!
Notes
- *Bing cherries work well because they are sweet but slightly tart. If using sour cherries, toss them with 2 teaspoons sugar. You can also replace the fresh cherries with 1 21-ounce can of cherry pie filling.
- This dessert is best if chilled overnight!
Find it online: https://thatbreadlady.com/cherry-icebox-dessert/