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Prep time
45 minutes
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Cook time
20 minutes
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makes
2 cups of syrup
Author Notes
Every year around my summer birthday, I like to find a pick-your-own fruit farm, pick buckets and buckets of whatever is in season, then make so many treats from it. Since I lived for years in the Northeast, what was in season during the weeks around this June date is completely different. Last year, after moving back “home” to Kansas City, I realized that being so much further south made a big difference on seasonality—instead of strawberry picking for my birthday, it was already time for cherries. I scoured my online U-Pick sources for anywhere that had one of my favorite fruit jewels in the world: sour cherries. Some people call them tart cherries, but others call them my favorite colloquial name, pie cherries. These cherries are bright red, incredibly juicy, and packed with flavor, though not as sweet as many of their other stone fruit counterparts. They do make especially good desserts for this reason (since you’re adding sugar anyway, and their flavor is lovely) I baked my haul into pies and cobblers galore but as I neared the end of this sweet stash, my desire to put in a big effort diminished.
I couldn’t let those perfect gems go to waste, and this sour cherry syrup was the result. It’s so good, so easy, and so special—such huge reward for very little effort—that I will now be making a batch every time I get the “good cherries.” Spoon your syrup over ice cream, blend it into a milkshake, or use it to make an ice cream soda or float! Or my personal favorite move is to mix it into fresh squeezed lemonade or limeade for a sweet-sour summer treat. It keeps for up to three months in the refrigerator, so it’s also great as a cocktail mixer, too, because we’re essentially making homemade grenadine. Best of all, reserve and enjoy the bonus by-product: the simmered, sweetened cherries. When the syrup is strained, reserve the fruit to spoon over your favorite dessert, stir into yogurt, or purée them to make fruit leather. —Erin Jeanne McDowell
Watch This Recipe
Sour Cherry Syrup
Ingredients
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2 pounds
sour cherries, pitted
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1 1/2 cups
(295 grams) granulated sugar
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1/2 cup
(115 grams) water
Directions
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In a large pot, stir the fruit and sugar to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes to macerate. Then, add the water and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
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Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is very tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Towards the end of the cook time, you should see very soft, broken down pieces of fruit, surrounded by red syrup.
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Place a strainer over a large (heat-safe) liquid measuring cup. Spoon or pour the mixture into it to strain the syrup away from the fruit solids. Press firmly on the solids to help release all of the syrup. You’re aiming to have about 2 cups (475 milliliters) of syrup—if you have more, return the strained syrup to the pot and continue to simmer until it reduces to 2 cups (475 milliliters).
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Transfer the remaining solid fruit left in the strainer to an airtight storage container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to one week (see headnote for serving suggestions). Pour the syrup into an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!
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