Recipe - Cherry Claw-Footies

This yummy dessert is great anytime of year, but the name alone makes it Halloween-worthy and the richness lends itself well to cool fall evenings, so now is a great time to bring out this special from-scratch dessert idea. The tartness of the cherries marries well with the cream and vanilla, and if you want an alcohol-free version (although all the alcohol will cook off anyway) you can substitute cherry juice.

Cherry Claw-Footies

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds red sour cherries, pitted
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
3 Tbsp kirsch (cherry or other fruity brandy)
confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly butter a 10 inch, shallow dish; fill with cherries and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift flour and salt together, then add sugar.
3. Start gradually adding and whisking in the whole eggs, then the egg yolks, the milk, and finally the cream.  
4. When combined, gently stir in the vanilla bean seeds and the kirsch or other sweet brandy, then whisk again to combine.
5. Hold a sieve over the cherries in the dish and pour the batter into the sieve and let it drain over the cherries, making sure you let it cover the whole dish.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the batter puffs up and gets golden brown on top.
7. Remove and let cool at room temperature.
8. Dust with the powdered sugar lightly and serve in individual dessert bowls.
9. May serve with a dollop of cold whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

 

More Seasonal Halloween Recipe Ideas:

• It's Scary How Good This Recipe Is! (omimattress.com)
• Fall-Inspired Signature Drinks (pinklotusevents.wordpress.com)
• Bite Into a Killer Dexter-Themed Dessert (people.com)
• Tastes of Fall - Hot Apple Crisp with Homemade Butter Pecan Ice Cream (donachyblog.wordpress.com)