I promised in my great grandma’s fudge cake blog that I would share another favorite family recipe. This recipe is such a well-kept secret that most people have never heard of this delectable dish, and it normally raises eyebrows when I take it to a potluck. However, the first bite typically gets me countless requests for the recipe. Yet, no matter how often I’ve shared the recipe, I keep finding the majority of people still haven’t tried this super easy, yet amazing “salad.” I’ve decided it’s time that changes. This recipe should no longer be a secret, but instead something your family can also enjoy for generations to come.

A little background on this recipe, my great-grandmother made this recipe for EVERY holiday dinner it seemed when I was growing up. Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, I could always count on the bing cherry salad being on the counter waiting to tickle my tastebuds with pure satisfaction.

After my great-grandmother passed away in 2000, the dish started showing up less and less often at each family event. Occasionally a great aunt or my grandmother would prepare it, but more often than not it was forgotten. This broke my heart, partially for memory’s sake, and mostly because this was the dish I looked forward to. It may have salad in the name, but don’t let that deceive you, it’s very much considered a dessert around these parts.

When I got married in 2011, I began making this my “dish” to bring to the family events. I got out the recipe, found in a local home extension cookbook that hosted several of my great-grandmother’s published recipes, and set to work. Once I gathered the ingredients, I was shocked at how simple it was. It tasted so delicious, I figured it must have taken a lot of steps and work, but it was truly so simple that my now 7-year-old could make it. He has actually made it a couple of times now, as I try to pass these recipes to the next generation.

The ingredients are simple, needing only to purchase 6 ingredients to make this heavenly “salad.” I still hate that it’s called a salad, there is no lettuce, and it doesn’t resemble that of a “Jello salad,” but alas I did not have naming rights… so back to the ingredient list. You simple need cream cheese, miracle whip, sugar, Cool Whip, bing cherries (sometimes referred to as dark pitted cherries), and pineapple tidbits.

1. After draining the fruit well, I transfer it to a bowl that has been double-lined with paper towels. Allow to set for 15 minutes. This absorbs excess moisture, makes for a better salad-dessert, and prevents the cherries from staining the rest of the mixture. ↩︎
2. I take mine out of the freezer a day in advance and place in the fridge. ↩︎