Celebrate cherry season with this delicious and easy to make Balsamic Cherry Sauce!
Keep this amazing fresh cherry sauce all to yourself or give a jar to a friend. Along with the recipe, I'm sharing a free printable gift label, plus I'm showing you how to pit a cherry.
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I have been obsessed with cherries lately.
It all started at my local grocery store. Piles of sweet, beautiful cherries were marked way down, so I grabbed two big bags. I've snacked on countless fresh cherries since then, and I've done a little baking, too.
My love of cherries started early. I grew up near Door County, Wisconsin, which is known for its cherry orchards. My mom took my sister and I cherry picking every summer.
The fresh cherries were irresistible, and I'm sure I ate more than I picked most years!
I look forward to cherry season every year, and I love trying new recipes.
My Balsamic Cherry Sauce was inspired by one of my favorite recipes, an amazing cherry upside-down cake.
The recipe is made with cherries cooked in butter and brown sugar, along with a touch of balsamic vinegar, then baked under a rich cornmeal batter. Yum!
My Cherry Balsamic Sauce captures the wonderful flavors of that cake, and it's so easy to make.
How to Make Balsamic Cherry Sauce
Simply combine butter, brown sugar, and balsamic vinegar and cook until combined, then stir in fresh cherries. The balsamic vinegar adds an extra layer of flavor that complements the tart cherries perfectly.
After about 5 minutes, you'll have an amazing cherry-filled caramel sauce that's ready to eat! Serve this Balsamic Cherry Sauce warm over pancakes, pound cake, and other sweet treats. Personally, I love it spooned over a bowl of vanilla ice cream!
Keep this Balsamic Cherry Sauce all to yourself, or give it as a gift. After the recipe, I'm sharing a free printable gift label, plus I'm showing you how to pit a cherry.
How to Pit a Cherry (Without a Cherry Pitter)
Cherries can be tedious to pit, but don't let that stop you from making this Balsamic Cherry Sauce. My simple trick for pitting cherries gets the job done fast, no cherry pitter required!
You'll need a cake decorating tip. I used a Wilton 12 round. The exact size doesn't matter, but it should be slightly smaller than a cherry pit.
Remove the stem from your cherry. Place the cherry on the small end of the tip (stem-side down) and gently press down on the cherry. Cover the cherry with your hand as you do this to minimize cherry juice spraying everywhere. The tip will push the cherry pit right out.
Free Printable Label
Want to give this Balsamic Cherry Sauce as a gift? Click anywhere on the image below (except the Pin Me! button) for the free printable Balsamic Cherry Sauce label:
For best results, print the labels on card stock.
To package the Balsamic Cherry Sauce, transfer the sauce to a mason jar, then cover the lid with a piece of rustic fabric (burlap or canvas work great) and attach the label with bakers twine ... easy and cute!
What is your favorite seasonal fruit?
Balsamic Cherry Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ pound unsalted butter
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- pinch salt
- 4 cups cherries, pitted and halved
Instructions
- Add butter, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and salt to a medium saucepan and place over medium-low heat.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and everything is combined.
- Add cherries and stir to coat. Raise heat and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer until cherries are tender and sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Serve sauce warm over ice cream, cake, or pancakes. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe looks so delicious and full of flavor. What a great idea for a sauce for ice cream or frozen yogurt...love this...thanks for sharing!
It is super yummy, Jodee (if I do say so myself;)! I need to make another batch.
Oh my goodness this looks amazing! I never knew how to pit a cherry! I love this, definitely making it and giving some as gifts! Thanks so much for linking up to Wined Down Wednesday, hope to see you next week!
Cathy
This looks so good! Pinned. Hugs~ Lou Lou Girls
Gosh that looks delicious!!! Thanks for the trick on how to pit a cherry!
Mmm this sounds so delish!
super clever idea for pitting a cherry! I gave up and bought a cherry pitter. Wish I had thought of this and saved the money and space in my kitchen.
This looks amazing! I can't wait to stir up a batch. And the cherry pit removal - brilliant!