Best Cherry Strudel Recipes

Steps:

• Drain cherries, reserving 1/3 cup juice. In a large saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, cranberries and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Combine cornstarch and reserved juice and add to the pan. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in walnuts. , Unfold one pastry sheet and cut in half. Mound half of the cherry mixture on one pastry half to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with remaining pastry half; pinch edges to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. , Place on a greased foil-lined baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal slits into tops of strudels; brush with egg. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Steps:

• Bring cherries (with any juices), 3/4 cup sugar, and cornstarch to a boil in a 2 1/2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally, then simmer 2 minutes. Transfer filling to a bowl and cool completely.
• While cherry filling cools, arrange 3 phyllo sheets in 1 layer on a work surface and let dry 15 minutes. Keeping 12 remaining sheets stacked, halve crosswise, then stack halves. Cover stack with a piece of plastic wrap and a dampened kitchen towel. Finely crumble 3 dried phyllo sheets into a bowl.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Arrange 1 piece of phyllo on work surface with a short side nearest you (keep remaining sheets covered) and brush with some butter. Top with 3 more phyllo pieces, brushing each with butter.
• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons crumbled phyllo over lower third of buttered phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border along bottom and sides, then top with a rounded 1/3 cup filling. Fold bottom edge of phyllo up over filling and fold in sides to enclose filling completely, then roll up phyllo to form a strudel, about 4 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. Transfer, seam side down, to a buttered baking sheet. Brush top with some butter, then sprinkle lightly with 1/4 teaspoon sugar. Cut 2 (1-inch) vents diagonally across top of strudel, about 1 1/2 inches apart, with a paring knife. Make 5 more strudels in same manner.
• Bake strudels in middle of oven until golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool 30 minutes.
• We used IFQ (Individually Quick Frozen) cherries from Friske Orchards (231-599-2604), in Charlevoix, Michigan.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), blend the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add the farmer's cheese and continue to blend. Add the egg and mix. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar and the vanilla. Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (or just set aside in a bowl).
• Transfer 1 sheet of phyllo to the prepared pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the phyllo with butter. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/3 of the ground walnuts. Repeat with the 2 remaining sheets of phyllo--reserving the some melted butter and nuts for the top, once rolled.
• Turn the sheet pan so that the phyllo is horizontal to your body. Two inches in from the left-hand edge of the phyllo, working from top to bottom and leaving 2 inches bare at the top and bottom, pipe or spoon a 3/4 inch thick line of cream cheese mixture.
• Alongside the cream cheese, pour the cherry pie filling. Turn the sheet pan a quarter turn and, starting at the edge the fillings are near, roll up the pastry to encase the filling. Keep rolling to form a log. Move the log to the center of the sheet pan and tuck the ends under to keep the filling from oozing out. Brush the surface with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining sugar and nuts.
• Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes on the pan. Using a serrated knife, cut carefully into sections and serve warm.

Steps:

• Cherry filling: In large saucepan, combine cherries, sugar, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat for 30 to 60 minutes. Strain cherries from juice and set aside. Discard excess liquid.
• Cheese filling: Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well mixed. Set aside.
• Dough: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On waxed paper, spread out a few sheets of phyllo dough and brush with melted butter. Top the dough with a thin coating of the cheese filling and then with the cherry filling. Top with bread crumbs and nuts. Cover with another couple sheets of phyllo dough and repeat topping steps. Repeat to create 3 to 4 layers of dough and topping and then roll up like a strudel and place on a cookie sheet. Brush a thin coat of melted butter on top and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix cherries, vanilla, allspice, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• Unfold one pastry sheet and smooth out with wet fingertips. Brush top with 1/4 of melted margarine.
• Spread 1/2 of filling along a short side of pastry sheet. Slowly roll up from short side, jelly-roll style; fold ends under.
• Place strudel, seam side down, on non-stick baking sheet. Brush with 1/4 of melted margarine.
• Repeat using other pastry sheet, remaining cherry mixture, and margarine.
• Bake 15-20 minute at 400 degrees until golden.
• Set baking sheet on wire rack to cool 15 minute.
• Transfer strudels to serving platter to cut and serve.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Steps:

• Using on/off turns, blend first 3 ingredients in processor until coarse meal forms. Add sour cream and process just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; divide in half. Flatten each dough piece into thin rectangle. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm enough to roll, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out 1 dough piece on lightly floured surface to 14x12-inch rectangle. Leaving 1-inch plain border at 1 long side, spread with 3/4 cup cherry jam, then sprinkle with 1 cup almonds, 1/2 cup dried cherries and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Starting opposite plain end, roll up dough jelly-roll style, enclosing filling. Push in ends to compress log to 12-inch length; seal ends. Transfer strudel, seam side down, to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling, spacing strudels evenly apart on baking sheet.
• Bake strudels until golden, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Slide spatula under hot strudels to loosen from sheet. Cool completely on sheet. Cut strudels crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick bars. (Store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days.)

Steps:

• Line a sieve with 2 layers of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Place the yogurt in the sieve and refrigerate until the liquid has dripped out of the yogurt, several hours or overnight. Discard the liquid.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the cherries and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside. Place the almonds, bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are finely ground. Set aside.
• Place the yogurt in a mixing bowl and whisk in the egg yolks, lemon zest, vanilla extract and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Beat the egg whites by hand or with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold the beaten whites into the yogurt mixture.
• Lightly butter a baking sheet and set aside. Place a kitchen towel on a work surface and place 1 sheet of the phyllo on the towel, with the long side facing you. Keep unused phyllo sheets covered with a damp towel as you work. Brush the phyllo lightly with butter and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the crumb mixture. Repeat with 5 more sheets of phyllo. Top with the last phyllo sheet.
• Leaving a 1-inch border, spread half of the yogurt mixture in a 3-inch-wide strip along the side nearest you. Combine the remaining crumb mixture with the cherries and place on top of the spread filling. Spread the remaining filling over the cherries. Fold the sides of the phyllo in over the filling. Starting from the bottom, roll the strudel up like a jelly roll. Place, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with the remaining butter. Make 4 short diagonal slices through the phyllo for steam vents. Bake until crisp and golden brown, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, cut into quarters and serve.

Steps:

• Microwave: To prepare filling, combine first liquor, water and sugar in a medium bowl. Microwave at High 1 1/2 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring after 45 seconds. Stir in dried cherries and ginger, cover with plastic wrap and microwave an additional 3 minutes on HIGH. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow fruit to absorb the liquid. Spoon fruit mixture into bowl, cover and cool completely.
• Stovetop: In a small saucepan, combine liquor, water and sugar and heat until sugar crystals dissolve. Add dried cherries and ginger to the pan and cook until cherries absorb most of the liquid and plump (approximately 5-10 minutes with low heat). Spoon fruit mixture into bowl, cover and cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 350°F
• To assemble the strudel, 1/4 cup chips into the cherries.
• Place 1 phyllo sheet on work surface, covering remaining dough to keep from drying. Lightly coat with butter-flavored cooking spray. Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time, repeat this process with the 7 remaining phyllo sheets with cooking spray, placing one on top of the other. Place a sheet of plastic wrap or waxed paper over phyllo, pressing gently to seal sheets together; discard plastic wrap.
• Spoon filling along 1 long edge of phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold over the short edges of phyllo to cover 2 inches of apricot mixture on each end. Starting at long edge with 2-inch border, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Do not roll tightly, or the strudel may split.
• Place strudel, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Score 7 diagonal slits into top of strudel using a sharp knife. Lightly spray strudel with cooking spray.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
• Place 1/4 cup chips in a small heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag, and seal. Submerge bag in very hot water until chips melt. Snip a tiny hole in 1 corner of bag; drizzle chocolate over the baked strudel.