No Bake Chocolate Cherry Dessert
No oven needed for a No Bake Chocolate Cherry Dessert. Enjoy the classic Oreo cookie crust with a chocolaty cream cheese layer. The middle has a sweet layer of cherry pie filling, all topped with Cool Whip. A few extra crushed Oreos and some quartered maraschino cherries decorate the top.
All this chocolaty goodness next to that sweet delicious cherry pie filling should be the official definition of scrumptiousness. It’s cool, it’s rich, and it’s a pleasure to serve. Those layers make a beautiful presentation, and you can
decorate the top to match any theme or celebration. Also, it’s made in a 13 x 9″ baking dish, so it’s easy to carry and travel with, plus it feeds a small crowd.
Get away from that oven.
There’s nothing to bake in this dessert, so give your oven the day off.
Using a food processor, turn those Oreo cookies into crumbs and mix with the melted butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 13 x 9″ baking dish to make sure it’s packed in there tightly. Let the crust set up in the fridge while you work on the next step.
The chocolate cream cheese layer.
Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature so it mixes well with the other ingredients. Using an electric mixer, add the sugar to the cream cheese until well blended.
Next, add in the finely ground chocolate bar. Optional, of course, but that extra chocolate makes it extra rich. Use a fine grater to keep the texture smooth and creamy.
Then, add in your milk and instant pudding mix, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go. Spread this chocolaty goodness over your crust and let it set up in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Giving it time to set up makes the next step all the easier.
Cherry pie filling time.
Spoon the cherry pie filling evenly and gently onto the chocolate layer. By placing little dollops of the pie filling everywhere, you avoid having to spread it.
In other words, plopping the can in the center and trying to spread it around may not work so well; the cherries will squish into the chocolate layer and the layers will muddle. It’ll still taste great, though!
Your last layer is the Cool Whip. This should also be placed in dollops evenly over the pie filling, then spread as gently as possible.
The reason is that the pie filling will start to “climb” up the Cool Whip and your (what would be) white layer is now red and white and pink. But it’ll taste good!
If this starts happening, try barely pressing down with a frosting spreader and spread it just a little in one direction, then let up. Work your way from one end to the other.
Decorate with more cookies or customize to your party theme.
I like to buy the Family Size (1 lb., 3.1 oz.) bag of Oreos, because the crust requires 36, and that’s exactly how many come in the smaller 14.3 oz. bag. I usually want more for decorating and snacking, so the Family Size works better for me.
As shown in my pictures, I decorated the top with 6 roughly chopped cookies, then I quartered some maraschino cherries. At the last minute I realized I had the Red, the White, but no Blue. Lucky for me I had some fresh blueberries turning this No Bake Chocolate Cherry Dessert into quite the patriotic show-stopper.
Let your dessert set up for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. When I plan well and have the time, I like to make it the day before so it has all night to do it’s magic.
FAQs about No Bake Chocolate Cherry Dessert
- What is No Bake Chocolate Cherry Dessert?
No Bake Chocolate Cherry Dessert is a layered dessert made with an Oreo cookie crust, a creamy chocolate cream cheese layer, sweet cherry pie filling, and whipped topping. It’s chilled instead of baked, which makes it perfect for warm weather or easy entertaining. - How long does No Bake Chocolate Cherry Dessert need to chill?
The dessert should chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours so the layers can set properly. Many people prefer making it the day before serving so it has plenty of time to firm up. - Can I make this dessert ahead of time?
Yes. This recipe works very well as a make-ahead dessert. Preparing it a day in advance allows the layers to set and makes slicing easier. - How should I store leftovers?
Store the dessert covered in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. Because the layers contain cream cheese and whipped topping, it should stay chilled until serving.
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No Bake Chocolate Cherry Dessert
Ingredients
- 36 Oreo cookies (more if you want to decorate)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 – 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp. chocolate bar, finely grated (optional)
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 3.4 oz. box instant chocolate pudding mix
- 20 oz. can cherry pie filling
- 12 oz. Cool Whip
Instructions
- Using a food processor, grind Oreos into crumbs. Mix with melted butter and press firmly in bottom of 13 x 9" baking dish lightly sprayed with non-stick spray. Place in fridge to set up.
- Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar together. Add optional grated chocolate, milk, and pudding. Scrape sides of bowl until everything is thoroughly mixed.
- Spread chocolate layer onto crust and return to fridge to set up for at least 30 minutes.
- Carefully dollop pie filling onto chocolate, spreading as little as possible to avoid muddling layers.
- Carefully dollop Cool Whip onto pie filling, spreading as little as possible to (you guessed it) avoid muddling layers.
- Leave as is or decorate top with more crushed Oreos, maraschino cherries, or whatever fits your party theme.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, best if overnight. Keep refrigerated.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
The inspiration behind this No Bake Chocolate Cherry Dessert recipe
This dish was inspired by the popularity of my No Bake Lemon Blueberry Dessert. It would seem I’m not the only one who’s reluctant to turn my oven on in the middle of summer.
If it’s Oreos you love, check out this Lemon Oreo Cheesecake and this Pistachio Cookie Cake made with pistachio Oreos. I’ve also got some great trifle recipes with Oreos: try this Chocolate Raspberry Trifle and this Harvest Dirt Trifle.
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Have a blessed day, my friend, thanks for stopping by.
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Instant or cook and serve pudding. I assure cook and serve as it was the only 3.4 oz box I could find.
Hi Vickey…sorry I wasn’t more specific. I used instant in the recipe. I’ll make that change right now.
This is also scrumptious with strawberry pie filling and fresh strawberries on top.
Armenian you using Oreo cookies with the filling or just the cookie part?
Definitely the whole cookie, filling and all.
I made this and it was fantastic! Only mistake I made was making the Oreo crust too thick because it was hard to cut through. Other than that mistake that I made, this is a delicious dessert! I do have a question, can you freeze this after you’ve made it if you can’t eat it all?
Hi Scott. The short answer is that I don’t recommend you freeze it, but, yes you can. The texture of the cream cheese will change slightly if frozen. It can get grainy or crumbly. This happens because cream cheese is about half water, and the ice crystals that form during freezing and thawing can cause the water to separate from the cheese curds. (That was the long answer – lol) So, you can freeze it, but the texture might change. You can always freeze a small portion and test it out yourself. I hope this helps, and thanks for the question.