Red, White & Blue Archives - Noble Pig

Cherry Turnovers

Cathy Pollak — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 16:16:12 +0000

I cook down a pound and a half of dark cherries with brown sugar for these cherry turnovers, adding bourbon before the puff pastry gets involved. Coarse sugar goes over the pastry before baking, then I finish them with a cinnamon-bourbon glaze.

Cherry Puff Pastry Turnovers with Bourbon Glaze

I love fresh cherries and I live in cherry country, but they’re not always convenient, and cherry pie filling has its own thing going on that isn’t always the thing I want. Sometimes it’s too sweet and tastes more like filling than cherries, and other times I want a cherry turnover without waiting for the three weeks of the year when perfect cherries are sitting on my counter.

That’s why I prefer using frozen dark sweet cherries for these turnovers. I can make them for brunch, a holiday, a random Sunday, or whenever I decide I need a cherry turnover, and the filling still tastes like cherries. Since I’m cooking the fruit down anyway, frozen cherries make a lot more sense to me than standing there pitting a pound and a half of fresh ones only to cook them for half an hour. I’m really only willing to do that for fresh cherry pie.

The filling ends up dark, concentrated and very cherry-forward, which is what I want inside a turnover with this much puff pastry anyway.

The Decisions Behind This Recipe

I start with 1½ pounds of frozen dark cherries instead of canned cherry pie filling, and I cook them down for 25 to 30 minutes until a lot of the liquid is gone. I didn’t use cornstarch to thicken the filling. Instead, I let the excess liquid cook away until the cherries are thick enough to spoon into the pastry without bringing a bunch of juice with them.
I use both granulated sugar and light brown sugar in the cherries because the brown sugar gives the filling a more molasses flavor, which I especially like once the bourbon goes in. I add the bourbon after the cherries have reduced rather than cooking it with them for the full 25 to 30 minutes.
Then I use bourbon again in the glaze, where its flavor is more noticeable because it never gets heated. The cinnamon stays out of the cherry filling completely and goes into the glaze instead, which keeps the cherries tasting more cherry-like rather than turning it into a spiced fruit filling.
The puff pastry gets egg wash and a decent coating of coarse sugar before baking, then the cinnamon-bourbon glaze goes over the top once the turnovers have cooled. I like having the crunchy sugar under the glaze instead of relying on the glaze to do everything.
And I really did design these around frozen cherries on purpose. They release lots of juice as they cook, but that isn’t a problem because the long cooking time is meant to get rid of the excess. By the time the filling is ready, the cherries have gone from frozen fruit sitting in a lot of liquid to something concentrated enough to spoon into puff pastry.

Ingredients

Puff pastry – You need two sheets, thawed but still cold. It’s best to thaw them in the fridge overnight. Once they’re pliable enough to unfold, keep them from getting warm while you assemble the turnovers.
Frozen dark sweet cherries – These go into the saucepan straight from the freezer. I like their dark color and sweeter cherry flavor, and frozen works well since the fruit is being cooked down anyway.
Granulated sugar and light brown sugar – Both sweeten the cherry filling, but the brown sugar adds molasses flavor that goes well with the bourbon. If you’re out, you can make your own homemade brown sugar.
Fresh lemon juice – A tablespoon is enough to give the cooked cherries some acidity with both sugars.
Bourbon – I use it in two places. It goes into the cooked cherry filling after the fruit has reduced, then again in the glaze, where its flavor is more obvious because it isn’t being cooked.
Egg – Beaten egg helps the folded pastry edges stick together and goes over the tops for better browning in the oven.
Coarse sugar – Sugar in the Raw or another coarse sugar goes over the egg-washed pastry before baking. It gives the tops a noticeable sugary crunch under the glaze.
Confectioners’ sugar – This is the base of the glaze and gives it enough body to sit on top of the turnovers.
Whole milk – Used to loosen the glaze to a consistency that will drizzle without becoming watery.
Vanilla extract – Does what it always does.
Ground cinnamon – This stays in the glaze instead of going into the cherry filling, so the cinnamon is part of the finish rather than the cooked fruit.

How to Make Cherry Turnovers

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

Step One (make the cherry filling)
Add the frozen cherries, both sugars and lemon juice to a large saucepan over medium heat. Let them cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring often and mashing the cherries as they soften, but don’t turn them into baby food. I want some pieces of cherry left in there. You’re looking for the filling to get thick and concentrated, with no watery juice pooling around the fruit. Stir in the bourbon, take the pan off the heat and let the filling cool completely. Completely. If you’re impatient, put it in the refrigerator and move things along.
Step Two (get the puff pastry ready)
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Give each sheet of thawed puff pastry a light roll to even it out, then cut each one into four squares so you have eight altogether. If the pastry starts getting soft or floppy while you’re working, put it back in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Cold puff pastry is much easier to work with, and keeping it cold gives the butter sheets a better chance of producing the puff once they get in the hot oven.
Step Three (fill and seal the turnovers)
Put 1½–2 tablespoons of cherry filling on one half of each pastry square, leaving about a ½-inch border around the edges. It’s very tempting to add more filling, and this is where I tell you not to. Too much makes the turnovers harder to seal and gives the cherries a very convenient exit route once they’re in the oven. Brush the border lightly with beaten egg, fold the pastry diagonally over the filling and press the edges together with a fork.
Step Four (add the sugar and bake)
Cut 2–3 small slits across the top of each turnover, brush the pastry with more beaten egg and be liberal with the coarse sugar. Bake for 12–15 minutes, but look at the pastry instead of automatically pulling them the second the timer says 12. You want them well puffed with good golden color across the tops. Move them to a wire rack and let them cool before you even think about putting glaze on them.
Step Five (make the cinnamon-bourbon glaze)
Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, milk, vanilla, bourbon and cinnamon together until smooth. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until it falls off the spoon the way you want it to. Once the turnovers are cool, drizzle the glaze over the tops and let it set before serving.

Recipe Tips

Use the spatula test before taking the cherry filling off the heat. When you pull a spatula through the saucepan, you should briefly see the bottom rather than watery juice immediately running back into the space.
A shallow bowl will cool the cherry filling faster than leaving it in the saucepan. Refrigerate it if needed, but don’t assemble the turnovers until the filling is cold.
Keep the puff pastry cold while you work with it. If it starts feeling soft, floppy or slightly sticky while you’re assembling the turnovers, put it back in the refrigerator for 10–15 minutes before continuing.
If cherry filling gets onto the pastry border, wipe it away before brushing on the egg wash. A dry, filling-free border gives you a much better chance of keeping the seam closed in the oven.
Don’t get ambitious with the amount of filling. The 1½–2 tablespoons may look like you’re holding back, but once the pastry expands around it, there is plenty of cherry filling in each turnover. More isn’t an improvement if half of it ends up on the baking sheet.
Let the color tell you when they’re finished. Puff pastry should be well risen and properly golden across the top and around the sides, rather than pale because the timer reached 12 minutes. The exposed pastry sheets along the sides are a good place to check.

Storage and Reheating

Once the turnovers are completely cool and the glaze has set, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The pastry will gradually soften as it sits, especially in the refrigerator, so I reheat them when I want some of the crispness back.
For the best texture, reheat the turnovers in a 325°F oven for 5–8 minutes or in an air fryer at 325°F for 3–4 minutes. The microwave will warm them, but it also turns puff pastry soft, so that would be my last choice.
The glaze will soften and may partially melt when the turnovers are reheated. If you already know you’re saving some for later, leave those unglazed and add the glaze after reheating.
Leftover cherry filling can be kept separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days from the day it was made.

FAQs

Do I need to thaw the frozen cherries first?
No. Put them directly into the saucepan frozen. They’ll release lots of liquid as they heat, which is expected and is why the filling gets a fairly long cooking time.
Can I use fresh cherries instead of frozen?
Yes. Use the same weight of pitted dark sweet cherries, but watch the saucepan rather than assuming the cooking time will be identical. The amount of moisture in fresh cherries varies, so use the consistency of the filling rather than the clock to decide when it’s ready.
Can I make the cherry filling ahead of time?
Yes. Make the filling up to 4 days before you plan to bake the turnovers and keep it covered in the refrigerator. For brunch or a holiday morning, this is the part I would get out of the way ahead of time.
Can I leave out the bourbon?
Yes. Just leave it out. You don’t need to replace the small amount in either the filling or the glaze with another liquid for the recipe to work.
Can I use canned cherry pie filling?
Technically, yes, but then you’re making a different turnover. This recipe was developed around cherries that are cooked down until the fruit itself becomes the filling, so canned pie filling will give you a sweeter, softer and more gelled center.
Why did my cherry turnovers leak?
Usually, it comes down to too much filling, cherry filling getting onto the pastry border, filling that wasn’t reduced enough, or pastry edges that weren’t completely sealed. A little leakage can happen even when you do everything right, but there should still be plenty of filling inside the turnover.
Why didn’t my puff pastry rise?
Check the temperatures first. Puff pastry that got warm during assembly, cherry filling that wasn’t completely cold, or an oven that hadn’t fully preheated can all limit the rise. You want cold pastry going into a fully heated 400°F oven.
Can I freeze cherry turnovers?
I haven’t tested baking these turnovers from frozen, so I can’t give you a reliable baking time for that method. If I wanted to make them ahead, I’d make the cherry filling in advance and refrigerate it, then assemble and bake the turnovers when I wanted them.

From My Kitchen Notes

Small observations from the margins.

The sweetest things aren’t always the ones that need the most sugar.
Sometimes things only hold together because the corners were pressed hard enough.
Management is sometimes only possible once something has cooled down.
You can fold something over itself and still not hide what’s inside.
What’s inside eventually finds the weakest seam.
Sometimes the mess is proof there was something inside.
Not everything that spills is a failure.
There are times when breaking open is the only way to see what was really there.
A good seal is not the same thing as permanence.
There are things you can make neater, but not less true.

More Reasons to Keep Puff Pastry in the Freezer

Blackberry Puff Pastry Galette – Blackberries, puff pastry, coarse sugar.
Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Pastries – Sausage, eggs, sharp cheddar.
Carrot Tart with Pistachio Pesto and Ricotta – Honeyed carrots, ricotta, pistachio pesto.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Danishes – Cream cheese, strawberry jam, puff pastry.
Chicago Hot Dog Pigs in a Blanket – Hot dogs, mustard relish, puff pastry.
Almond Cruffins – Almond filling, flaky pastry, muffin shape.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Cherry Turnovers

Cherry Turnovers are made with puff pastry filled with dark cherries cooked down with granulated sugar, brown sugar and bourbon, then baked with coarse sugar and finished with a cinnamon-bourbon glaze.

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword bourbon cherry turnovers, cherry puff pastry turnovers, cherry turnovers, homemade cherry turnovers, puff pastry cherry turnovers

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 15

Total Time 1

Servings turnovers

Calories 593kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

Saucepan (large). For reducing the cherry filling.
potato masher or sturdy spatula. For breaking up the cherries as they cook.
2 baking sheet (large). For giving the turnovers enough room to expand as they bake.
parchment paper Prevents sticking and makes cleanup easier if filling escapes.
rolling pin For lightly evening out the puff pastry sheets.
pastry brush For applying the egg wash.
cooling rack Allows air to circulate around the baked turnovers as they cool.

Ingredients

Cherry Turnovers:

1½ lbs (680 g) frozen dark cherries
⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
⅓ cup (71 g) packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
1½ tbsps (22 ml) bourbon
2 sheets frozen puff pastry thawed but kept cold
1 large egg beaten
2-4 tbsps (25-50 g) sugar in the raw or other coarse sugar

Cinnamon-Bourbon Glaze:

1½ cups (180 g) confectioners' sugar
2 tbsps (30 ml) whole milk
½ tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
1 tsp (5 ml) bourbon
½ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Add the frozen dark cherries, granulated sugar, brown sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring frequently and breaking up the cherries with a potato masher or sturdy spatula as they soften. The filling is ready when the cherries have broken down and the excess liquid has reduced to a thick, spoonable consistency rather than pooling around the fruit.
1½ lbs (680 g) frozen dark cherries, ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar, ⅓ cup (71 g) packed light brown sugar, 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
Stir in the bourbon and remove from the heat. Transfer the cherry filling to a bowl and cool completely before assembling the turnovers. Refrigerate the filling to speed up cooling if needed.
1½ tbsps (22 ml) bourbon
Unfold one sheet of thawed puff pastry onto a sheet of parchment paper. Lightly roll the pastry into an even square, then cut into four equal squares. Repeat with the second sheet to make eight pastry squares total. Keep the pastry cold while working.
2 sheets frozen puff pastry
Place 1½–2 tablespoons (22–30 ml) of cooled cherry filling on one half of each pastry square, leaving a ½-inch (1.25 cm) border around the perimeter. Avoid getting filling on the border so the pastry can seal properly.
Brush the exposed pastry edges lightly with beaten egg. Fold each square diagonally over the filling to form a triangle, then press the edges together with a fork to seal.
1 large egg
Cut 2–3 small diagonal vents in the top of each turnover to release steam during baking. Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash and generously sprinkle with coarse sugar.
2-4 tbsps (25-50 g) sugar in the raw
Arrange the turnovers on the prepared baking sheets with space between them. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the puff pastry is well risen and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and cool before glazing.
Whisk the confectioners' sugar, milk, vanilla, bourbon and cinnamon together until smooth. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, add additional milk 1 teaspoon (5 ml) at a time until it falls easily from a spoon.
1½ cups (180 g) confectioners' sugar, 2 tbsps (30 ml) whole milk, ½ tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract, 1 tsp (5 ml) bourbon, ½ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon
Drizzle the cinnamon-bourbon glaze over the cooled cherry turnovers. Allow the glaze to set before serving.

Notes

Add the cherries to the saucepan while still frozen. There is no need to thaw them first.
The cherry filling needs to cool completely before it touches the puff pastry. Warm filling can soften the butter between the pastry sheets and reduce the rise during baking.
Puff pastry should be thawed enough to unfold and roll without cracking but should remain cold. If it becomes soft while assembling the turnovers, refrigerate it briefly before continuing.
Cherry brands and varieties vary in sweetness. Taste the cooked filling while it is still warm and add a little more sugar if the cherries are particularly tart.
Keep the ½-inch (1.25 cm) border free of cherry filling so the pastry can be sealed securely.
Avoid adding more than 1½–2 tablespoons (22–30 ml) filling per turnover. Overfilling makes the pastry more difficult to seal and increases the chance of leakage during baking.
The bourbon can be omitted from both the filling and glaze without affecting how the turnovers bake.
Any leftover cherry filling can be refrigerated separately and used on pancakes, waffles, toast, yogurt, cheesecake or vanilla ice cream.
Store baked turnovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
For the best pastry texture after storage, reheat at 325°F (165°C) for 5–8 minutes or in an air fryer at 325°F (165°C) for 3–4 minutes. Microwaving will soften the puff pastry.

If you’re making these Cherry Turnovers, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card.

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Have you made these Cherry Turnovers? I’d love to hear how they turned out — leave a comment below and let me know.

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The post Cherry Turnovers appeared first on Noble Pig.

Chocolate Blackberry Pavlovas

Cathy Pollak — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:55:31 +0000

Chocolate blackberry pavlovas have ribbons of semisweet chocolate swirled through the meringue, topped with softly whipped cream and blackberry compote made from cooked and fresh berries.

Individual Pavlovas with Chocolate Swirls and Blackberry Compote

There’s lots of times when chocolate makes fruit feel totally unnecessary. This isn’t one of them because pavlova is already sweet. And once I folded semisweet chocolate into it, it needed something dark and tart next to it. Blackberry has a way of keeping chocolate from getting too pleased with itself.

I barely stirred the chocolate through the finished meringue. The less evenly it mixes, the better the marbling looks. Half the blackberries cook down into their juices while the other half go in fresh, so the topping has both the darker cooked fruit and whole berries still intact.

Then there’s the whipped cream, which I barely sweeten and stop whipping while it’s still very soft. It gets into the cracks and goes over the sides instead of sitting on top like frosting.

These are supposed to be a little unruly.

The Decisions Behind This Recipe

I didn’t want these to be the kind of chocolate pavlova where cocoa gets mixed into the meringue and the whole thing turns chocolate. Melted semisweet chocolate gives me the marbling instead, while leaving most of the meringue white.
I make them individually, mostly because I like everyone getting their own pavlova. You also get more of the crisp outside around the soft center, plus a place in the middle for the good stuff to go.
Cooking all the blackberries would give me more sauce than I wanted. Adding half of them after the pan comes off the heat leaves whole berries in the compote and keeps some of their fresh tartness.
I use only a small amount of confectioners’ sugar in the whipped cream because the meringue already supplies most of the sweetness. I want the cream to taste like cream, especially once the chocolate and blackberry compote are on the same spoon.

Ingredients

Egg whites – Use fresh large egg whites and let them come to room temperature before you start. I don’t use pasteurized egg whites from a carton because they don’t always whip with the same volume and stability. Four large whites usually give me somewhere around 120 to 140 grams.
Granulated sugar – This goes into the meringue, with another two tablespoons saved for the blackberries. If you like knowing the math behind these things, meringue works with sugar at roughly twice the weight of the egg whites. That’s why weighing the whites is useful if yours happen to be large or small.
Semisweet chocolate – I like semisweet because the meringue already has enough sugar. The chocolate is melted so I can barely stir it through and keep the ribbons visible.
Fresh blackberries – Half get cooked down for the juicy part of the compote and the other half go in fresh at the end. Fresh berries are preferred because I want to save the whole blackberries for the finished topping. Frozen blackberries are fine for the portion you’re cooking, but I’d still use fresh for the berries added afterward.
Heavy whipping cream – I stop whipping this while it’s still very soft, which is what I want on pavlova. It should spoon into the centers and start making its way into the cracks instead of sitting there in a stiff mound.
Confectioners’ sugar – Three tablespoons for the whipped cream, which is plenty. Between the meringue and the chocolate, this dessert doesn’t need sweet whipped cream fighting for a promotion.
Fresh lemon wedge or white vinegar – This isn’t going into the pavlova at all. I use it to wipe down the mixing bowl and whisk before adding the egg whites. Even a little grease left behind can interfere with how well egg whites whip, so consider this cheap insurance before you start.

How to Make Chocolate Blackberry Pavlovas

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

Step One (make the meringue)
Preheat the oven to 225°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Before anything goes into the mixer, wipe the bowl and whisk attachment with a fresh lemon wedge or a paper towel dampened with white vinegar. Add the room-temperature egg whites and beat on low until foamy, about 1 minute, then increase the speed to medium-high and keep going until you have stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.
Step Two (add the sugar)
With the mixer running, add the granulated sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, letting the meringue come back to stiff peaks before adding the next spoonful. It takes a while. Let it. Once all the sugar is in, rub a little meringue between your fingers. If you can still feel sugar granules, keep whipping on high and check it again. I trust my fingers more than the clock. You want the meringue to feel smooth, because sugar that hasn’t completely dissolved is one of the reasons you’ll sometimes see little beads of liquid sugar on baked meringue.
Step Three (swirl in the chocolate)
Melt the semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave in short bursts, stirring between each one, then let the chocolate cool slightly. Set aside 2 tablespoons for the tops. Pour the rest over the finished meringue and stir it once. It’s going to look like you should stir it again. Don’t. Every time you scoop out another pavlova, you’re moving the chocolate through the meringue a little more, and too much stirring now will get rid of the uneven chocolate ribbons. Dab a little meringue underneath the corners of the parchment to keep it from sliding around, then spoon the meringue into 6 mounds and make a dip in the center of each with the back of a spoon. Drizzle the reserved chocolate over the tops and give it a few light swirls with a toothpick.
Step Four (bake and cool the pavlovas)
Bake on the center rack for about 1 hour, or until the pavlovas release easily from the parchment. Turn off the oven and leave them inside until completely cool. The meringues continue drying as the oven slowly cools, giving the outside more time to crisp while the center stays soft. Don’t worry about a few cracks. Pavlova cracks, and once the whipped cream and blackberries go on, nobody is going to care. I often bake mine the day before and leave them in the turned-off oven overnight, so this entire part is finished before I’m ready to assemble them.
Step Five (make the compote and put everything together)
Add 1 cup blackberries and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries release their juices and mostly break down. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup fresh blackberries. If the compote is too thick to spoon easily, add a small splash of water, then let it cool completely. Beat the heavy whipping cream with the confectioners’ sugar until very soft peaks form. Don’t take it any further than that. Spoon the whipped cream into the center of each pavlova, follow with the blackberry compote and bring them straight to the table.

Recipe Tips

Let the melted chocolate cool slightly before pouring it over the meringue. It should still be loose enough to drizzle easily, but it shouldn’t be hot when it comes in contact with the egg whites you spent forever whipping full of air.
Use a toothpick for the final chocolate swirls on top. I tried a fork and a skewer, and both moved too much meringue around and made the tops look messier. A toothpick is small enough to make thin chocolate lines across the surface without destroying the pattern.
Keep the oven at 225°F even though it feels low. The meringue needs time to dry slowly rather than brown, which is how you get that crisp outside with the soft, marshmallow-like center underneath.
Make a good indentation in the center of each pavlova before baking. The whipped cream is intentionally soft and the blackberry compote is juicy, so they need somewhere to go besides immediately down the sides.
Wait until you’re ready to serve before adding the whipped cream and blackberry compote. Both add moisture, which immediately starts softening the crisp meringue. I assemble these when everyone is ready for dessert, not twenty minutes before when dinner is almost over.
Meringue notices humidity whether you want it to or not. On a very humid day it can take longer to dry and may stay a little stickier because sugar attracts moisture from the air. I have a commercial oven, so my baking environment is unusually consistent, but if your pavlovas need a little more time than mine, go by how they look and release from the parchment rather than forcing them onto my exact clock.

Storage

Keep the undecorated pavlovas in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Don’t refrigerate them. Refrigerators are humid, and humidity is what crisp meringue doesn’t need.
The blackberry compote can be made ahead and stored separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. I prefer making the whipped cream close to serving rather than storing it ahead.
For the easiest make-ahead version, bake and cool the pavlovas ahead of time and make the blackberry compote whenever it’s convenient. Keep the two components separate, whip the cream before serving and assemble everything at the last minute. Once the cream and berries are on top, the meringue will gradually soften, so assembled pavlovas are something I serve rather than store.

FAQs

Can I make chocolate blackberry pavlovas ahead of time?
Yes. I often bake the pavlovas the day before and leave them in the turned-off oven overnight. The compote can be made ahead too. I wait until close to serving to whip the cream and assemble them.
Can I use frozen blackberries?
You can use frozen blackberries for the half that gets cooked down with the sugar. I would still use fresh blackberries for the second half. The berries aren’t cooked, and I want them to stay whole and have fresh tartness in the finished compote.
Why is my pavlova weeping?
Undissolved sugar is one of the usual suspects, which is why I’m so annoying about rubbing the meringue between your fingers before you stop whipping. Humidity can also cause meringue to absorb moisture, and once whipped cream and blackberry compote are added, the pavlova will naturally begin to soften. A little moisture isn’t a disaster, but a very wet or sticky pavlova usually means moisture found its way in somewhere.
Why did my pavlovas crack?
Some cracking is normal. A crisp shell surrounds a soft center, and those two textures don’t always remain perfectly intact as the pavlova bakes and cools. Big temperature changes can make cracking worse, which is another reason I leave mine in the turned-off oven to cool. Unless the pavlova has completely fallen apart, I wouldn’t consider a few cracks a failure. They’re about to be covered with cream and blackberries anyway.
Can I use dark or milk chocolate instead of semisweet?
Dark chocolate works if you want the chocolate ribbons more bitter with the sweet meringue. Milk chocolate is fine too, but it makes the overall dessert noticeably sweeter, which isn’t my preference. Semisweet is the perfect middle ground between the sugary pavlova and tart blackberries.
Can I make one large chocolate blackberry pavlova?
Yes. I tested the same recipe as one large pavlova and it worked fine. Mine needed about 5 minutes longer in the oven than the six individual pavlovas. Shape the meringue into one large round with a good indentation in the center, then start checking it around the one-hour mark and use the same cue I do for the smaller ones. It should release easily from the parchment. Let it cool completely in the turned-off oven before topping it.

From My Kitchen Notes

Small observations from the margins.

Things tend to stay together when no one wants too much from them.
The outside can be finished while the middle stays soft. Both can be true.
There’s a short distance between delicate and impossible.
Sugar can make something stronger than it has any business being.
I’ve let things cool in the dark before finding out whether they stayed together.
Blackberry has enough darkness to keep sweetness from becoming exhausting.
Softness and fragility aren’t interchangeable, although people seem hell bent on confusing them.
Meringue has unreasonable confidence.
Things can look tough, until you put a spoon through them.
You don’t always know what stayed together until you finally break it open.

When There Are Blackberries Around

Blackberry Cobbler – Tender biscuits over juicy berries.
Lemon Blackberry Bundt Cake – Lemon cake, fresh blackberry glaze.
Blackberry Crumble Bars – Jammy berries, buttery shortbread base.
Blackberry Lemon Oat Muffins – Buttermilk, lemon, hearty oats.
Blackberry Puff Pastry Galette – Flaky pastry, bubbling blackberry filling.
Blackberry Crumble – Juicy berries under toasted oats.
Baseball Nut Ice Cream – Vanilla ice cream, blackberry jam.
Blackberry Jam – Three ingredients, pure blackberry flavor.
Blackberry Crumble à la Mode Ice Cream – No-churn blackberry crumble ice cream.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Chocolate Blackberry Pavlovas

Chocolate blackberry pavlovas are individual meringues marbled with semisweet chocolate, baked slowly, then topped with softly whipped cream and a blackberry compote made with cooked and fresh berries.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword blackberry dessert bars, blackberry pavlova, Blackberry Recipes Dessert, Chocolate Blackberry Pavlovas, Chocolate Pavlova, Dessert Blackberry, Easy Meringue Dessert, individual pavlovas, Meringue Dessert, Pavlova Dessert

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Cooling: 2

Total Time 3 30

Servings pavlovas

Calories 510kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

Stand Mixer with whisk attachment. Whips the egg whites to stiff peaks and gives you enough power to gradually incorporate the sugar until it dissolves. And for whipping the cream.
baking sheet (large). Gives the six individual pavlovas enough room to bake without touching.
parchment paper Keeps the meringues from sticking and makes it easy to check when they release after baking.
microwave safe bowls For melting the semisweet chocolate in short intervals.
Saucepan (small). For cooking half the blackberries into the compote.
mixing bowls (large). For whipping the cream before serving.
Toothpick Creates the chocolate swirls over the tops of the pavlovas.

Ingredients

Chocolate Pavlovas:

1 fresh lemon wedge or white vinegar, for wiping the bowl and whisk
4 large (120 to 140 g) fresh egg whites room temperature, not pasteurized
1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (85 g) semisweet chocolate chips

Blackberry Compote:

2 cups (300 g) fresh blackberries divided
2 tbsps (25 g) granulated sugar

Whipped Cream:

1½ cups heavy whipping cream
3 tbsps (23 g) confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 225°F (107°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wipe the bowl and whisk attachment of a stand mixer with a fresh lemon wedge or a paper towel moistened with white vinegar. Add the egg whites and beat on low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
1 fresh lemon wedge , 4 large (120 to 140 g) fresh egg whites
With the mixer running, add granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing the meringue to return to stiff peaks between additions. Once all the sugar has been incorporated, rub a small amount of meringue between your fingers. If it still feels grainy, continue beating on high speed until the sugar has dissolved and the meringue feels smooth.
1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
Meanwhile, melt the semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave in short intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly while the meringue finishes mixing.
½ cup (85 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Reserve 2 tablespoons of the melted chocolate. Pour the remaining chocolate over the finished meringue and stir once, leaving visible streaks of chocolate throughout.
Dab a small amount of meringue underneath each corner of the parchment paper to secure it to the baking sheet. Spoon the meringue into 6 mounds. The chocolate will become more incorporated as the meringue is portioned, so avoid additional stirring. Use the back of the spoon to make an indentation in the center of each mound for the toppings.
Drizzle the reserved melted chocolate over the pavlovas and use a toothpick to lightly swirl it into the tops.
Bake on the center rack for 1 hour, or until the pavlovas release easily from the parchment. Turn off the oven and leave the pavlovas inside until completely cool.
Meanwhile, add 1 cup (150 g) blackberries and granulated sugar to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries release their juices and mostly break down. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 cup (150 g) fresh blackberries. If the compote is too thick to spoon easily, add a small splash of water. Set aside to cool.
2 cups (300 g) fresh blackberries , 2 tbsps (25 g) granulated sugar
Add the heavy whipping cream and confectioners' sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat until very soft peaks form.
1½ cups heavy whipping cream, 3 tbsps (23 g) confectioners' sugar
To serve, spoon whipped cream into the center of each pavlova, followed by the blackberry compote. Serve immediately.

Notes

Use fresh, non-pasteurized egg whites for the most reliable meringue. Make sure the mixing bowl and whisk are completely free of grease before adding the whites.
For meringue, a useful ratio is approximately twice the weight of sugar to egg whites. If your four egg whites weigh more or less than expected, weighing them first makes it easy to adjust the sugar accordingly.
Add the sugar gradually and give it enough time to dissolve. Rub a little finished meringue between your fingers; if it feels grainy, continue whipping. Undissolved sugar can cause the pavlovas to weep during baking.
Do not overmix after adding the melted chocolate. Stirring once leaves the chocolate streaked through the meringue, and portioning the pavlovas distributes it further.
Leave the baked pavlovas in the turned-off oven until completely cool. They can also be baked a day ahead and left in the oven overnight.
Undecorated pavlovas can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Store the blackberry compote separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Assemble the pavlovas shortly before serving. Moisture from the whipped cream and blackberry compote will gradually soften the meringue. Do not refrigerate or freeze the assembled pavlovas.
Frozen blackberries can be used for the cooked portion of the compote. For the berries stirred in after cooking, fresh blackberries give the best texture.

If you’re making these Chocolate Blackberry Pavlovas, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Have you made these Chocolate Blackberry Pavlovas? I’d love to hear how they turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Chocolate Blackberry Pavlovas appeared first on Noble Pig.

S’mores Pie

Cathy Pollak — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:03:26 +0000

A no-bake s’mores pie with a graham cracker crust, chocolate ganache, and toasted marshmallow topping. Every slice has the flavor of a classic campfire s’more.

S’mores Pie with Toasted Marshmallow Topping

The hardest part about turning a s’more into a pie was deciding what not to change. The graham cracker crust, chocolate, and toasted marshmallow all needed to stay, because obviously. The rest was figuring out how to turn those three things into a pie. There was some trial and error. In other words, I really love my job.

I’ve made a lot of s’mores desserts, which is less about my own creativity and more about not being able to leave graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow alone. Every time I think I’ve maxed out all the good ways to use them, I think of another one.

Pie should have been obvious to me from the beginning. A graham cracker crust is already available for chocolate, and chocolate will never object to toasted marshmallow on top. The biggest question was whether there was such a thing as too much marshmallow. I say there’s not.

When I’m developing a recipe, I always try the easiest way first. Not because I’m lazy, although I’m not above protecting my time, but nobody needs an extra technique unless it changes the end result significantly. I did try regular marshmallows and marshmallow fluff. Neither gave me the big, sliceable, wispy swirls I wanted.

I ended up making the marshmallow topping from egg whites and sugar, which I know sounds like more work than it is. It was the only way to get the look I wanted. Once it’s torched, it has the toasted marshmallow flavor of a s’more, but now it looks handsome enough to bring to a dinner party without explaining that it started as a s’more fixation.

By the end of July, I’m ready for pie to stop being seasonally responsible. We’ve already done fresh strawberry pie, fresh cherry pie, blueberry crisp, and peach cobbler Bundt cake. Summer fruit has had enough attention. This is the point when I want chocolate again, something gooier, but still very much has the energy of the season.

That’s why s’mores pie fills the gap right now. Chocolate and toasted marshmallow are still completely summer, but they also remind me that August is standing outside with apples and cinnamon waiting to get in. It’s also the tiny seasonal hallway between fruit pie summer and the annual pumpkin occupation of the internet. Both deserve their turn.

This just happens to be the part where I’ve moved past pretending fruit is the only thing I want.

The Decisions Behind This Recipe

The filling is a true chocolate ganache made with semisweet chocolate and heavy cream. I wanted to keep this pie as close to a classic s’more as possible, which meant no cream cheese, pudding mix, or whipped topping. Warm cream turns the chocolate into a ganache that stays creamy but becomes firm enough to slice after chilling.
The marshmallow topping was where I tried very hard to take the easy way out. Regular marshmallows meant no height, and marshmallow fluff could not hold the high peaks on top. Making it from egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and vanilla was the only way to get the waves and folds that could be toasted without slumping all over the pie.
The graham cracker crust doesn’t need to be baked. Freezing it gives the butter time to firm up and hold the crumbs together before the warm ganache goes in. After that, the refrigerator does it all.
So yes, it’s completely no-bake, aside from the very important moment when you take a torch to the top. Underneath the toasted swirls, it’s still graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallow arranged differently.

Ingredients

Graham cracker crumbs – The obvious thing that makes the crust taste like a s’more before the chocolate and marshmallow arrive. Fine crumbs pack together best, so pulverize or crush them until there are no big pieces left.
Salted butter – The melted butter holds the crust together once it freezes, and the salt keeps the pie from becoming one long sugar event.
Granulated sugar – Some goes into the crust, and the rest is heated with the egg whites for the marshmallow topping. In the crust, it adds sweetness and helps the crumbs pack together. In the topping, it dissolves into the egg whites and gives you that thick, shiny finish.
Semisweet chocolate chips – Semisweet gives the ganache enough bitterness to balance the marshmallow without making the pie feel too dark. Milk chocolate is fine, but the filling will be sweeter and softer once chilled. Use really good quality chocolate. You’ll notice if you don’t. Guittard brand is my favorite.
Heavy cream – Warm cream melts the chocolate into a smooth ganache. You need the fat in heavy cream because lighter dairy won’t set the filling as well.
Egg whites – The base of the homemade marshmallow topping. Once they’re heated with sugar and whipped, they become fluffy enough to pile high and toast.
Cream of tartar – Helps the egg whites hold shape after whipping, which is important when you’re piling the topping high and then taking a torch to it.
Vanilla extract – Vanilla gives the marshmallow topping the flavor you’re expecting from a classic marshmallow. Without it, the topping will taste sweet, but not finished.

How to Make S’mores Pie

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

Step One (make the crust)
Stir the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar together until the mixture looks like wet sand and holds together when you squeeze it. Press it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate using your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup. Pop the crust into the freezer for at least 1 hour. That gives the butter time to firm up so the crust doesn’t fall apart when the warm ganache goes in.
Step Two (make the chocolate filling)
Place the chocolate chips in a large bowl. Heat the heavy cream until it is hot but not boiling, then pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute before stirring so the chocolate has a chance to melt instead of making you work harder than necessary. Stir until the ganache is completely smooth, then pour it into the chilled crust and spread it evenly. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until the filling is firm, about 2 hours. Waiting until it cools first helps keep condensation from forming on top of the ganache.
Step Three (make the marshmallow topping)
Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Add the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar, then keep stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Rub a little between your fingers to check. If you can’t feel any sugar crystals, you’re ready to whip. Stir in the vanilla, then beat the mixture until it’s thick and the peaks stand straight up when you lift the whisk. That’s what gives the topping enough height for the torch to catch all the raised areas.
Step Four (finish the pie)
Spread the marshmallow topping over the chilled pie, making plenty of curves with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Toast the top with a culinary torch until it’s lightly browned. If you don’t have a torch, slide the pie under the broiler for a minute or two, but don’t walk away. Marshmallow can go from perfectly toasted to a small kitchen emergency in about three seconds. Chill until you’re ready to slice and serve.

Recipe Tips

When you heat the cream, get it hot but don’t let it boil. Pour it over the chocolate, let it sit for a full minute, and then stir. That minute is doing more than it looks like.
Make sure the ganache is completely smooth before pouring it into the crust. If you still see pieces of chocolate, give it another minute or warm it gently in short microwave bursts.
Don’t start whipping until the sugar has completely dissolved. Rub a little between your fingers. If it still feels grainy, keep stirring. The timer is only a suggestion. Your fingers are the final boss.
Chill the ganache until it’s firm before adding the marshmallow topping. Otherwise, you’re dragging a spoon through soft chocolate and turning three layers into one very expensive-looking mudslide.
For neat slices, warm a sharp knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and clean it between cuts. This pie is theatrical enough without every slice getting to the table with marshmallow attached to the previous one.

Storage

Keep the finished pie covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The marshmallow topping will still taste good after that, but it’s at its best when the swirls are fresh and the toasted parts still look like a paid actor.
You can make the crust and chocolate filling up to 2 days ahead. Keep the pie covered in the refrigerator, then make the marshmallow topping and toast it closer to serving. That’s the best way to keep the top looking tall and wispy instead of slightly tired.
To freeze the pie, stop after the ganache has set. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze it for up to 1 month. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then add the marshmallow topping and toast it before serving. I would not freeze it with the topping already on unless appearance is no longer part of the plan.

FAQs

Can I toast the marshmallow topping without a culinary torch?
Yes. Put the pie under a preheated broiler for 1 to 2 minutes and watch it the entire time. Marshmallow goes from golden to black almost immediately.
Can I use milk chocolate instead of semisweet chocolate?
Yes. Milk chocolate will give you a sweeter, more candy bar-like filling, which may be what you want in a s’mores pie. I think it’s too sweet. It’s also softer than semisweet chocolate, so give the pie extra chilling time and expect the filling to set less firmly.
Can I use store-bought marshmallow fluff instead of making the topping?
You can, but it won’t look the same and it definitely doesn’t slice the same. You could also cover the chilled ganache with mini marshmallows and toast them, but that’s still a different pie. And it still won’t slice without oozing. Sometimes a shortcut works. This isn’t one of those times.
Why are there no marshmallows in the ingredient list?
The topping is the marshmallow. Egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and vanilla are heated together, then whipped until thick. Once it’s toasted, it has the same flavor as a campfire marshmallow, but it spreads over the whole pie and cuts neatly.
Can I make this pie ahead of time?
Yes. Make the crust and ganache up to 2 days ahead and keep the pie covered in the refrigerator. Add the marshmallow topping and toast it the day you plan to serve it, or a few hours beforehand.
Why didn’t my chocolate ganache set?
It may have needed more time. Give it at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, and longer if your kitchen was warm when the pie went in. Also make sure you used heavy cream. Milk, half-and-half, and lighter cream do not give the chocolate enough fat to set the same way.
Why didn’t my ganache turn smooth?
The cream may not have been hot enough, or the chocolate may have needed more time before stirring. Let it sit for another minute, then stir again. If you still see unmelted chocolate, warm the bowl very gently in short microwave bursts, stirring after each one.
Why is my marshmallow topping grainy?
The sugar was not completely dissolved before whipping. Put the mixture back over the simmering water and keep stirring until you can rub some between your fingers without feeling any crystals.
Can I use pasteurized egg whites?
Some cartons of liquid egg whites don’t whip well, so check the package before using them. The egg whites are heated with the sugar before whipping, which is part of the Swiss meringue-style method used for this topping.

From My Kitchen Notes

Small observations from the margins.

Some things can completely change shape without becoming less true.
I always try the easiest route first. Often it’s the first thing to fail.
There’s never a prize for making something harder than it needs to be or pretending the shortcut worked.
The easiest version is only useful when it gives you the same ending.
A substitute can have all the right ingredients and still miss the entire idea.
The chocolate makes this what it is. The marshmallow gets photographed. Let that sink in.
Ordinary things can become very important when given enough air.
The middle of something can feel like an ending when you’ve already moved on.
I don’t need the season to end before admitting my appetite has changed.
Some people are very good at staying familiar from a distance.
A thing can look finished for years and still be waiting for the one step that makes it real.
Height is not the same as depth. I’ve never been distracted by what rises first.
The topping only works because it can hold air without disappearing.
There is no shortcut for becoming the version that can stay present.
The pie doesn’t need another ingredient. It needs the existing ones to finally meet.
There’s a point when preserving the possibility becomes more destructive than risking the result.

More Ways to S’more Indoors

S’mores Cookie Bars – Graham cookie dough, marshmallow crème.
S’mores Parfaits – Layered chocolate dessert jars.
Frozen S’mores Lasagna – Frozen layers of summer nostalgia.
Air Fryer S’mores Egg Rolls – Crispy wrapper, molten center.
S’mores Pretzel Bites – Sweet, salty, bite-sized treats.
Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies – Chocolate chips, peanut butter, marshmallow.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

S'mores Pie

S'mores Pie is a no-bake dessert made with a buttery graham cracker crust, rich chocolate ganache filling, and a homemade toasted marshmallow topping. It has all the flavors of a classic s'more in a pie that's easy to slice and serve.

Course Dessert, Pie

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate ganache pie, graham cracker crust pie, no-bake s'mores pie, s'mores pies, toasted marshmallow pie

Prep Time 20

Chilling 2

Total Time 2 20

Servings slices

Calories 575kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

9-inch pie plate (23 cm) Gives the pie the right thickness for neat slices.
mixing bowls For combining graham cracker crust, heating heavy cream, holding chocolate over hot water for the ganache and marshmallow topping.
Saucepan (large) Creates a double boiler for dissolving the sugar in the egg whites
Stand Mixer or hand mixer with whisk attachment. Whips the marshmallow topping to stiff peaks.
offset spatula or cack of a spoon. Makes it easy to spread the marshmallow topping.
culinary torch Toasts the marshmallow topping like a classic s'more. Use the broiler if you don't have one.

Ingredients

Crust:

1½ cups (150 g) graham cracker crumbs
6 tbsps (85 g) salted butter melted
⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar

Filling:

12 oz (340 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream

Marshmallow Topping:

5 large (150 g) egg whites (separate eggs while they're cold)
1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
¾ tsp (3 g) cream of tartar
2 tsps (10 ml) vanilla extract

Instructions

Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and granulated sugar until the mixture looks like wet sand and holds together when pressed between your fingers.
1½ cups (150 g) graham cracker crumbs, 6 tbsps (85 g) salted butter, ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate using your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup. Freeze for at least 1 hour, or overnight, so the crust stays firm when the filling is added.
Place the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a large heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream until hot but not boiling, about 45 seconds in the microwave. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute so the chocolate has time to melt. Stir until the ganache is completely smooth.
12 oz (340 g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1¼ cups (300 ml) heavy cream
Pour the ganache into the chilled crust and spread it into an even layer. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the filling is firm.
Fill a large saucepan with about 2 inches (5 cm) of water and bring it to a lazy simmer. Set a heatproof bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. If you have a double boiler, you can also use that.
Add the egg whites, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar to the bowl. Stir constantly for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the sugar has completely dissolved. Rub a little between your fingers. It should feel completely smooth with no sugar crystals remaining.
5 large (150 g) egg whites, 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar, ¾ tsp (3 g) cream of tartar
Remove the bowl from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract, and beat with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or a handheld mixer, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high. Beat for 5 to 6 minutes, or until stiff peaks form. The marshmallow topping should be thick and hold together when you lift the whisk.
2 tsps (10 ml) vanilla extract
Spread the marshmallow topping over the chilled pie, creating swirls with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Toast with a culinary torch until lightly browned. Alternatively, place the pie under a preheated broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely so the marshmallow doesn't burn. Serve chilled.

Notes

Freeze the crust before filling it to help it stay together when slicing.
Heat the cream until hot, but don't let it boil.
Let the hot cream sit on the chocolate for 1 minute before stirring for the smoothest ganache.
Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved before whipping the marshmallow topping.
The pie can be made 1 to 2 days ahead. Toast the marshmallow topping right before serving for the best appearance.
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze without the marshmallow topping for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before adding and toasting the topping.

If you’re making this S'mores Pie, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card.

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Have you made this S’mores Pie? I’d love to hear how it turned out — leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post S’mores Pie appeared first on Noble Pig.

Fresh Cherry Pie

Cathy Pollak — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:32:39 +0000

Fresh cherry pie is made with sweet summer cherries, a flaky homemade crust, and a classic lattice top. A quick extra step helps each slice stay together after the pie has cooled, instead of oozing juice.

Fresh Cherry Pie That Starts on the Stovetop

Fresh cherry pie has always been about one thing for me. I want to cut into it and see the filling stay in the pie instead of creeping out all over the plate. And that rarely happens. Fresh cherries release a lot of juice as they cook, so I started thickening the filling on the stovetop before assembling the pie instead of waiting for everything to happen in the oven. Once the pie cools, the filling stays put, inside the flaky homemade crust. The pie crust stays crisp underneath the filling instead of turning into a soggy mess.

I’ve been fresh cherry obsessed for as long as I can remember. In fact, I would be halfway up a cherry tree before anyone could stop me. Not that they were going to either. Every summer we’d drive out to Cherry Valley and Beaumont in Southern California to go cherry picking, and while the adults were organizing themselves with buckets, I was already climbing. If there was one thing I wasn’t afraid of, it was climbing a tree and scaling those extremely tall orchard ladders. When you’re five or six years old and weigh next to nothing, I could scooch way out onto branches the adults were never going to mess with, and that’s where all the best cherries were anyway.

I never came home clean. I’d sit up in the trees eating cherries until the juice was running down my arms, and into the creases of my elbows and neck, and all over the front of whatever T-shirt I was wearing. I was so completely sticky and filthy, and couldn’t have cared less. I probably ate as many cherries sitting in those trees as we picked. Those were the best days.

My parents’ friends, Leo and Sally, had a chicken farm out that way, and we’d always stop to visit on the way home. My mom would bring them cherries, and while the adults hung out, Sally would hand me a basket and let me run around and grab fresh eggs to take home. The chickens were everywhere. I guess we’d call that free range nowadays. Then we’d sit down to bowls of ice cream topped with some of the fresh cherries we picked that day before heading home. At some point my mom would make cherry ice cream and at least one or two cherry pies. My mom was quite skilled at making pie crust. I’ll give her that. And fresh cherry pie became a reliable part of my summers growing up.

Now I have a couple of cherry trees of my own here in Oregon, although whether I get cherries depends on the year. They’re more weather-dependent than anything I’ve ever grown, and when they do have a good crop, the birds usually decide they’re ripe about five minutes before I do. Most years I head out to the Columbia River Gorge during cherry season instead, climbing the ladders, wishing I could still shimmy out on the branches, but always filling a bag or two, and coming home to make pie.

Cherry season doesn’t last very long around here or anywhere really. I think that’s part of why it always feels special. The way I make the pie has changed a little over the years, too. I wanted the filling to be thick enough that it stayed inside the pie where it belongs instead of escaping onto the plate like a river. After enough summers of tinkering with it, this is how I’m doing it now.

What Makes This Recipe Different

One of my biggest issues with fresh cherry pie is the juice chaos caused by the cherries releasing their juices for the first time inside the oven. I wanted to take care of that before I put together the pie by cooking the filling on the stovetop first. This way, the cherries have a chance to release their juices before baking, and the cornstarch is already fully activated. I already know how thick the filling is before it ever reaches into the crust.
I also started roughly chopping the cherries instead of leaving them whole. Whole cherries leave these big gaps in the filling and make the slices harder to serve neatly. Chopping them helps the fruit come together evenly, so every slice is packed with cherries instead of large pockets that want to fall apart and roll around the minute you cut into the pie.
When I make pie dough, I skip the pastry cutter step altogether and grate frozen butter directly into the flour. The shreds of butter stay cold as they’re mixed into the dough and create the flaky layers we all want in our pie crust. It’s become my favorite way to make pie crust because it’s simple and the results are consistent.
Once the lattice is finished, I put the pie into the refrigerator before the oven. Rolling, weaving, and handling the dough warms the butter, so giving the assembled pie time to chill again helps firm everything back up. That’s how the crust bakes up flaky. It’s not the same without this step.
I also bake the pie at two temperatures. Starting with higher heat to set the crust, then lowering the temperature so the filling has enough time to bubble without the pastry getting too dark.

Ingredients

All-Purpose Flour – Makes a pie crust that’s flaky but still strong enough to hold the cherry filling without falling apart.
Granulated Sugar – A little goes into the pie dough, while the rest sweetens the cherries.
Table Salt – Belongs in both the crust and the filling and helps balance the sweetness.
Unsalted Butter – I freeze the butter first, then grate it directly into the flour instead of cutting it into cubes. The little shreds stay cold and distribute throughout the dough, and help create flaky layers as the pie bakes. European-style butter is preferred because it has less water content and more butterfat.
Ice Water – Cold water helps bring the dough together while keeping the butter as cold as possible.
Fresh Sweet Cherries – I usually make this pie with Bing cherries, although any sweet cherry is fine. I roughly chop them instead of leaving them whole so every slice has a more even layer of fruit.
Fresh Lemon Juice – Balances the sweetness of the cherries without making the pie taste lemony.
Cornstarch – Thickens the filling. Since I cook the cherries on the stovetop first, the cornstarch is already fully activated before the pie ever goes into the oven.
Vanilla Extract – Adds warmth.
Almond Extract – You only need a small amount, and it’s one of the best flavor pairings with cherries.
Egg – Brushed over the lattice before baking for a shiny, golden crust.
Turbinado Sugar – Completely optional, but I love sprinkling a little over the egg wash because it adds a light crunch and sparkle to the finished pie.

How to Make Fresh Cherry Pie

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

Step One (make the pie dough)
Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter directly into the flour, tossing it into the flour every so often so the shreds stay coated instead of clumping together. Add the ice water and use your hands to bring the dough together. If it still feels a little dry, add another tablespoon or two of water until it holds together when you squeeze it. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a disc, wrap them well, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Step Two (cook the cherry filling)
Pit and roughly chop the cherries, then stir them together with the lemon juice, cornstarch, sugar, salt, vanilla, and almond extract in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the filling comes to a boil, then keep cooking for about 5 minutes until it’s thickened. You’ll know it’s ready when the juices lose that cloudy look and become shiny. Let the filling cool until it’s warm or completely cool before you start assembling the pie.
Step Three (assemble the pie)
Roll one disc of dough into a circle about ⅛-inch thick and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate, leaving a little overhang around the edges. Spoon in the cooled cherry filling. Roll out the second disc, cut it into strips, and weave the lattice over the top. Trim away the extra dough, crimp the edges, brush everything with the egg wash, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar if you’re using it.
Step Four (chill and bake)
Slide the assembled pie back into the refrigerator while the oven preheats. After all the rolling and weaving, I like giving the butter a chance to firm back up before it goes into the oven. Bake the pie at 400°F for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350°F and keep baking until the crust is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling right through the center of the lattice, not just around the edges. If the crust starts getting darker than you’d like, loosely cover the edges with foil or a pie shield.
Step Five (let it cool)
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing. I know it’s tempting to cut into it while it’s still warm, but this is when the filling finishes setting. Give it the time it needs, and you’ll be rewarded with slices that stay where they’re supposed to instead of leaving half the filling behind on the plate.

Recipe Tips

If your cherries are super juicy, let the filling simmer another minute or two before taking it off the heat. I’d much rather thicken it on the stovetop than wish I had after the pie comes out of the oven.
If the dough becomes soft while you’re rolling or weaving the lattice, slide it back into the refrigerator for a few minutes before continuing. Cold dough is easier to roll, weave, and crimp.
If you’re using a cherry pitter, wear an apron. Cherry juice has a way of finding the one shirt you don’t want to stain.
A metal pie plate will give you more browning on the bottom crust than glass, but either works well with this recipe. I prefer glass.

Storage & Leftovers

Cover the pie loosely and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate it for up to 5 days if your kitchen is warm.
I like this pie even more the next day. The filling firms up a little more overnight, making the slices easier to serve.
If you want to warm a slice, a few minutes in a 300°F oven works better than the microwave if you want to keep the crust crisp.

FAQs

Can I use frozen cherries?
Yes. Thaw them first and drain away any excess liquid before making the filling. Frozen cherries release more juice than fresh, so you may need to simmer the filling a little longer until it reaches the same consistency.
Can I use sour cherries instead of sweet cherries?
Yes. Sour cherries make good pie, but you’ll want to increase the sugar since they’re much more tart than Bing or other sweet cherries.
Do I have to make a lattice crust?
Not at all. A full top crust works just as well. Be sure to cut a few vents in the top so steam can escape while the pie bakes.
Why grate the butter instead of cutting it into cubes?
This is an easy way to distribute the butter evenly through the dough without pulling out a pastry cutter. It mixes in quickly while leaving plenty of small pieces that make the flaky layers.
Why is my cherry pie runny?
Usually one of two things happened. Either the pie was sliced before it had completely cooled, or the filling didn’t spend enough time thickening on the stovetop or bubbling in the oven.
Can I make this pie ahead of time?
Yes. It’s a great make-ahead dessert. Bake it the day before you plan to serve it, and the filling will be even better the next day.

From My Kitchen Notes

Small observations from the margins.

The best fruit is almost always worth the inconvenience.
A pie doesn’t care how impatient you are.
Sometimes what I’ve been waiting for has a very short season.
Lots of things fall apart because somebody cut into them too soon.
A lot of opportunities don’t disappear. They get eaten by birds.
The sweetest things usually leave a mark.
Not everything needs another sign. They’re already ripe.
There are rituals that stain your hands way after you’re finished with them.
All things that make aren’t necessarily a mistake.
The hardest part isn’t making the pie. It’s waiting long enough to cut the first slice.
Some days perfection matters. Cherry pie has never been one of them.
Some things spend all year becoming ready and disappear in two weeks. Maybe that’s part of why they’re important.
We all think timing is about clocks. Nature has never agreed with that.
Some of us weave everything togehter justright, and there are may of us who keep going until it holds together itself. Both usually end up with pie.
The filling was always going to get hot. That was the whole idea.
Certain processes look like patience from the outside and fear from the inside. I recognize them both.
Sometimes the best things don’t stay very long. That doesn’t make them any less worth waiting for.
There is a point where protecting the crust stops it from becoming pie. That’s not just about pie.
There are people who mistake hesitation for wisdom. The fruit doesn’t.
Trees and people can spend their whole lives becoming ready for a moment they never allow to arrive.
There are people who wait for certainty. Cherry season has never worked that way. Sometimes you don’t need more time. You only need to preheat the oven.

More Summer Fruit Desserts

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes – Cherry buttercream from preserves.
Fresh Cherry Coconut Chocolate Chip Ice Cream – Coconut ice cream, cherries, chocolate.
Lemon Blackberry Bundt Cake – Lemon soak, fresh blackberry glaze.
Peach Cobbler Bundt Cake with Bourbon Caramel – Peach cake with bourbon caramel.
Coconut Peach Crisp – Buttery oat topping, ripe peaches.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Fresh Cherry Pie

This Fresh Cherry Pie starts with homemade pie dough made from grated frozen butter for a flaky crust, then fills it with fresh cherries cooked on the stovetop before baking. The filling thickens before it reaches the oven, giving the pie a head start and helping it slice neatly once cooled.

Course Dessert, Pie

Cuisine American

Keyword best cherry dessert, cherry dessert, cherry pie, cherry pie recipe, cherry pie with lattice crust, classic cherry pie, fresh cherry dessert, fresh cherry pie, fresh cherry pie filling, homemade cherry pie, lattice cherry pie, summer cherry pie

Prep Time 1 25

Cook Time 55

Chilling + Cooling: 1 45

Total Time 4 5

Servings

Calories 515kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

mixing bowls (large). For mixing the pie dough.
measuring cups and spoons For ingredient accuracy.
box grater To grate the frozen butter.
Saucepan (medium). For cooking the cherry filling.
cherry pitter (optional) or metal straw. Speeds up pitting the cherries.
pastry brush To brush the egg wash on the lattice crust.
9-inch pie plate (23 cm) For baking the pie.
pastry wheel (optional) or knife. Makes the lattice crust strips.
pie shield (optional) or foil. To keep your pie crust edges from burning.

Ingredients

Pie Dough:

2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (12 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp (6 g) table salt
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter frozen
¼ cup (60 ml) ice water plus 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 ml) more if needed

Cherry Filling:

4½ cups fresh cherries pitted and roughly chopped (about 1 ½ pounds / 680 g pitted, or about 3 pounds / 1.4 kg whole cherries before pitting)
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
⅓ cup (40 g) cornstarch
⅔ cup (135 g) granulated sugar
½ tsp (3 g) table salt
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
¼ tsp (1 ml) almond extract

Topping:

1 large egg
1 tbsp (15 ml) water
2 tbsps (24 g) turbinado sugar (optional, for sprinkling after egg wash)

Instructions

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp (12 g) granulated sugar, 1 tsp (6 g) table salt
Grate the frozen butter directly into the flour, tossing it every so often so the shreds stay coated instead of clumping together.
1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
Pour in the ice water and use your hands to bring the dough together. If the dough still looks dry, add another tablespoon or two (15-30 ml) of ice water until it holds together when squeezed. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
¼ cup (60 ml) ice water
Pit the fresh cherries. If you don't have a cherry pitter, place a cherry on the neck of a small bottle and push a metal straw through the center to remove the pit. Roughly chop the cherries so they distribute more evenly throughout the filling.
4½ cups fresh cherries
Combine the chopped cherries, lemon juice, cornstarch, sugar, salt, vanilla, and almond extract in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, until the filling has thickened and the cornstarch is fully cooked. Remove from the heat and let the filling cool until warm or completely cool before assembling the pie.
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice, ⅓ cup (40 g) cornstarch, ⅔ cup (135 g) granulated sugar, ½ tsp (3 g) table salt, 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract, ¼ tsp (1 ml) almond extract
Roll one disc of dough into a circle about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Fit it into a 9-inch (23 cm) pie dish, leaving a little overhang around the edges. Spoon the cooled cherry filling into the crust.
Roll out the second disc of dough and cut it into strips about ½ inch (1.25 cm) wide. Arrange half of the strips across the pie, then weave the remaining strips over and under to form a lattice top. Trim away the excess dough, then crimp the edges to seal.
Whisk together the egg and water. Brush the lattice with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if using.
1 large egg , 2 tbsps (24 g) turbinado sugar, 1 tbsp (15 ml) water
Refrigerate the assembled pie for about 45 minutes while the oven preheats to 400°F (200°C). Chilling the pie helps the butter firm up again before baking.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for about 35 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling through the lattice. If the crust begins browning too quickly, loosely cover the edges with foil or a pie shield.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing. The filling continues to set as the pie cools, making neater slices.

Notes

European-style butter, such as Kerrygold, has a higher butterfat content and makes an especially flavorful pie crust.
Cooking the filling before assembling the pie gives the cornstarch time to fully thicken the cherry juices before baking.
Let the filling cool before adding it to the crust to help prevent a soft bottom crust.
A lattice top allows steam to escape while the pie bakes, but a solid top crust with a few vents also works well.
The pie slices best after cooling completely, and I think it's even better the next day.

If you’re making this Fresh Cherry Pie, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card.

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Have you made this Fresh Cherry Pie? I’d love to hear how it turned out — leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Fresh Cherry Pie appeared first on Noble Pig.

Angel Food Cupcakes

Cathy Pollak — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:22:46 +0000

These angel food cupcakes are individual angel food cakes baked in a standard muffin tin, then topped with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries. They have the same light texture as classic angel food cake without needing a tube pan or slicing at serving time.

Individual Angel Food Cakes Without the Tube Pan

I don’t make angel food cake very often, but when I do, I usually make cupcakes instead. They’re easier to serve, I don’t have to mess with a tube pan, and everybody gets their own whipped cream and berries.

I did grow up eating a lot of angel food cake. My mom made it regularly in one of those aluminum tube pans that was a staple in every kitchen in the seventies. It was the era of cake and coffee, and angel food cake made an appearance often enough that it felt like a regular menu item.

One summer afternoon, my mom was having a ladies’ luncheon at our house, which was nothing unusual. The lady down the street was her Mary Kay cosmetics rep and had come over to do one of those lipstick and cold cream presentations that seemed to happen on random weekdays because everybody was home. I was young, four or five years old, but I remember I was wearing a yellow gingham sundress and white Mary Janes because even luncheons on a Tuesday afternoon required dressing up.

Instead of her usual angel food cake, my mom made angel food cupcakes for the first and only time. She topped them with whipped cream and perfect little strawberries and put them in the refrigerator until dessert. I remember being very happy about this change.

The Mary Kay lady had a daughter who was a year older than I was and I dreaded every minute I had to spend with her. She had the exact same energy as the Veruca Salt character from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Once the adults disappeared into the formal living room for the presentation, she made it clear to me she was going to eat the strawberries off the cupcakes. I remember being completely horrified and tried to stop her, even though I was afraid of her. I also tried to tell my mom, but got in trouble for tattling because she stopped me before I could tell her there was a dessert emergency happening in the kitchen.

By the time the presentation ended, that girl had eaten nearly every strawberry off the cupcakes, while simultaneously scooping up the whipped cream with them, and the cupcakes looked awful. My mom was visibly annoyed because she was a perfectionist when it came to entertaining. I was vindicated because I tried to tell her. And she never made angel food cupcakes again, which I think is funny now.

So naturally, decades later, I make them myself. They’re still little individual angel food cakes topped with whipped cream and berries, only this time nobody is stealing the strawberries. I never had to have playtime alone with that girl again. That was probably my biggest win.

What Makes This Recipe Different

Angel food cake always meant pulling out the aluminum tube pan. They’re fine, but they’re bulky to store. Angel food cake sliced from a larger cake always looks slightly squashed. Because it is.
I prefer angel food cake as cupcakes because I love individual serving desserts. Everyone gets their own little cake topped with whipped cream and berries, and there’s nothing to slice at the table.
The cupcakes bake in a standard muffin tin with paper liners, so the tube pan is unnecessary. They also bake more quickly and are easy to serve for brunches, showers, and summer gatherings.
I make my own cake flour by combining all-purpose flour and cornstarch instead of buying a separate box. Those are ingredients I almost always have in my pantry anyway.
The dry ingredients are sifted three times, which might sound excessive until you’ve tried folding flour into whipped egg whites. Even tiny clumps can deflate the batter, so the extra sifting makes everything disappear into the meringue much more easily.
I finish the cupcakes with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries instead of heavy frosting because that’s really what I want from angel food cake. The whipped cream keeps it light, and the blueberries and raspberries look like they belong there rather than sitting on top as decoration.

Ingredients

Superfine Sugar – dissolves more easily into whipped egg whites than regular granulated sugar, which helps create a smoother, more stable meringue. If you don’t have superfine sugar, pulse regular sugar in a food processor for about 30 seconds.
All-Purpose Flour – Combined with cornstarch, it creates a homemade cake flour that gives the cupcakes a softer texture.
Cornstarch – Lowers the protein content of the all-purpose flour, creating homemade cake flour for a softer, more tender cupcake.
Salt – Balances the sweetness without making the cupcakes taste salty.
Egg Whites – Egg whites are responsible for almost all of the rise in angel food cake. Fresh egg whites are best because they whip into a more stable meringue than carton egg whites. It’s easiest to separate the eggs while they’re cold, then let the whites come to room temperature before whipping.
Warm Water – Helps the egg whites whip more easily and expand.
Cream of Tartar – Stabilizes the whipped egg whites so they hold their volume while baking.
Vanilla Extract – Gives angel food cake its classic vanilla flavor.
Heavy Whipping Cream – The classic topping for angel food cake. It complements the delicate cake instead of covering it with a heavy frosting.
Confectioners’ Sugar – sweetens the whipped cream.
Fresh Mixed Berries – Add color and freshness while balancing the sweetness of the cake and whipped cream.

How to Make Angel Food Cupcakes

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

Step One (prepare the muffin tins)
Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C) and line 16 muffin cups with paper liners. Don’t grease the liners or the pan. Angel food batter needs a surface to grab onto as it rises, and a greased pan makes that much harder. You’ll need two standard 12-cup muffin tins for this recipe, and it’s fine if some of the cups are empty.
Step Two (prepare the dry ingredients)
Sift 1/4 cup (50 g) superfine sugar, the flour, cornstarch, and salt into a bowl. Then do it two more times for a total of three siftings. Because angel food cake depends almost entirely on whipped egg whites for its rise, even tiny flour clumps can knock out some of that air while you’re folding.
Step Three (whip the egg whites)
Beat the egg whites, warm water, and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup (100 g) superfine sugar while beating, then continue until the egg whites hold soft peaks. The peaks should gently curl over when you lift the beaters. You’re not looking for stiff peaks. Angel food cake bakes best when the egg whites still have a little flexibility. Beat in the vanilla extract.
Step Four (fold the batter)
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the sifted dry ingredients into the egg whites one-third at a time. Fold only until the flour disappears into the batter. The air in the egg whites is what gives angel food cupcakes their light, cloud-like texture, so this is one of those times when less mixing is better.
Step Five (bake the cupcakes)
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Step Six (cool and decorate)
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Beat the heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Spoon or pipe the whipped cream onto the cooled cupcakes and finish with fresh berries before serving. I spoon it on because angel food cake has always looked better to me with soft clouds of whipped cream than perfectly piped swirls.

Recipe Tips

Separate the eggs while they’re cold. The yolks are much less likely to break, and then you can let the whites come to room temperature before whipping.
You don’t want to skip the triple sifting step. I know it sounds like one of those old baking instructions, but it really does make the flour mixture much easier to fold into the egg whites.
Make sure to take your time folding. Angel food cake gets almost all of its rise from whipped egg whites, so preserving the air is much more important than mixing quickly.
This isn’t the time to chase stiff peaks when whipping the egg whites. The peaks should gently curl over at the tip. Overwhipped egg whites are more likely to collapse.
Don’t grease the pan or paper liners. Angel food batter likes having something to hold onto as it rises.
The cupcakes don’t need to cool upside down the way a full-size angel food cake does. The smaller cakes and paper liners provide enough support while they cool.
Wait until the cupcakes are completely cool before adding the whipped cream. Even slightly warm cupcakes will soften it.
I usually add the berries right before serving because they look their prettiest and freshest that way.

Storage & Leftovers

Store the plain cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day or refrigerate them for up to 3 days.
Once topped with whipped cream and berries, the cupcakes should be refrigerated and are best within about two days. The whipped cream gradually softens and the berries begin releasing moisture, so they’re nicest the day they’re assembled.
For longer storage, wrap the unfrosted cupcakes individually, then freeze them in a freezer bag or airtight container. Let them thaw at room temperature, then top with freshly whipped cream and berries before serving.

FAQs

Can I use carton egg whites?
Fresh egg whites produce the most stable meringue and give the cupcakes their best rise. Carton egg whites often don’t whip to the same volume.
Can I use cake flour instead?
Yes. You can substitute cake flour for the all-purpose flour and cornstarch combination if you already have it on hand.
Why did my angel food cupcakes sink?
It’s usually caused by overwhipped egg whites, overmixing while folding, or removing the cupcakes before they’re fully baked.
Can I make angel food cupcakes in a standard muffin tin?
Yes. This recipe is designed specifically for a standard muffin tin with paper liners, so there’s no need for a tube pan.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Yes. The cupcakes can be baked a day ahead and stored covered until you’re ready to serve them. I usually wait until serving day to add the whipped cream and berries.
Can I freeze them with the whipped cream?
It’s better to freeze only the plain cupcakes. Fresh whipped cream and berries have the nicest texture when added after thawing.
Can I use frozen berries?
Frozen berries are great for sauces and compotes, but fresh berries work much better because they don’t release excess juice as they thaw.
Why are my cupcakes sticking to the paper liners?
Angel food cake is delicate while it’s still warm. Let the cupcakes cool completely before peeling away the liners, and they’ll release much more cleanly.

From My Kitchen Notes

Small observations from the margins.

Some desserts are memorable for reasons that have very little to do with the dessert itself.
There were many moments in my childhood when the adults were completely unaware that a catastrophe was unfolding.
Being told not to tattletale when a hostessing emergency was occurring was a very specific frustration to me.
Being believed was important. Childhood injustices can be very specific.
There are a lot of childhood moments when vindication arrives so late that it hardly matters.
My food memories are rarely about food.
I learned surprisingly young that not everyone views rules as agreements.
I don’t mind rules if everyone is playing by the same expectations.
I was extremely attached to the things and creatures I loved and very protective of my little world.
I had a beloved collection of stuffed animal koala bears, and the Veruca Salt girl would go into my room and make them hit each other in the face violently. She was like this tiny agent of chaos and I hated every minute I had to spend with her.
She represented everything I found to be destabilizing. She was loud, rough, unpredictable, destructive, and unconcerned with consequences. But I was expected to treat her with politeness, share my things, entertain her, manage her, and not complain.
I have never forgotten the girl who removed every strawberry from those cupcakes. Having to monitor her was above my pay grade at that time.
I remember what I was wearing that day because she stained my yellow dress with strawberry juice when I tried to stop her from eating them.
I was not ready to protect a dessert table from a wild child terror at four or five.
I lived in a world where social etiquette trumped everything and strawberries could ruin a whole afternoon.
Sometimes a single, unexpected gesture can rearrange an entire day.
But, sometimes we remember the deviation more clearly than the tradition.
Certain things become permanent because they come with an unexpected injustice.
This was something that happened once and never happened again, but it’s one of the stories I’ve kept.
I still think individual desserts feel more celebratory than slices.
There are things that seem insignificant until they happen in a way we’ve never seen before.
I think we all have a few experiences that remain oddly unfinished in our minds.
Some interruptions feel much larger than the events that caused them.
There are stories I organize into neat little boxes, only to discover they still have the ability to surprise me.

More Desserts Served One at a Time

Mini White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecakes – creamy cheesecake made in a muffin tin.
Raspberry Lemon Tartlets – buttery shortbread filled with lemon curd and berries.
Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes – chocolate cupcakes with cherry buttercream.
Mini Chocolate Ganache Tarts – rich chocolate filling in crisp tart shells.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates – peanut butter-filled dates coated in dark chocolate.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Angel Food Cupcakes

Angel food cupcakes are individual angel food cakes baked in a standard muffin tin, then topped with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries. They have the same light texture as classic angel food cake without needing a tube pan or slicing at serving time.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword angel food cake cupcakes, Angel Food Cupcakes, cupcakes with whipped cream, fresh berry cupcakes, mini angel food cakes

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 22

Cooling: 30

Total Time 1 17

Servings cupcakes

Calories 145kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

measuring cups and spoons For accurate measurements.
mixing bowls (large). Gives the egg whites room to expand.
muffin liners Angel food batter climbs the liners as it bakes.
2 muffin tins (12-cup). The recipe make 16 cupcakes.
large fine mesh sieve Helps evenly distribute the dry ingredients before folding.
rubber spatula Folds the batter gently without deflating the egg whites.
Stand Mixer or hand mixer. Whips both the egg whites and whip cream.
cooling rack Allows the cupcakes to cool completely before topping.

Ingredients

Angel Food Cupcakes:

¾ cup (150 g) superfine sugar (caster sugar) divided
7 tbsp (55 g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch
⅛ tsp (0.75 g) table salt
¾ cup (6.3 oz /180 g) freshly separated egg whites ( about 6 large eggs depending on their size)
1 tbsp (15 ml) warm water
¾ tsp (2.5 g) cream of tartar
1¼ tsp (6 ml) vanilla extract

Whipped Cream:

1½ cups (360 ml) heavy whipped cream
¼ cup (30 g) confectioners' sugar
½ tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract

Garnish:

2 cup (240 g) fresh berries such as blueberries and raspberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Line 16 muffin cups with paper liners. Do not grease the liners or pan.
Sift ¼ cup (50 g) superfine sugar, the flour, cornstarch, and salt into a bowl. Repeat the sifting two more times, for a total of three siftings. This helps the dry ingredients fold more easily into the whipped egg whites.
¾ cup (150 g) superfine sugar, 7 tbsp (55 g) all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp (8 g) cornstarch, ⅛ tsp (0.75 g) table salt
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites, warm water, and cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add the remaining ½ cup (100 g) superfine sugar while beating. Continue beating until the egg whites hold soft peaks, then beat in the vanilla extract.
¾ cup (6.3 oz /180 g) freshly separated egg , 1 tbsp (15 ml) warm water, ¾ tsp (2.5 g) cream of tartar, 1¼ tsp (6 ml) vanilla extract
Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the sifted dry ingredients into the egg whites one-third at a time. Fold just until no streaks of flour remain, being careful not to deflate the batter..
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the whipped cream, beat the heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

1½ cups (360 ml) heavy whipped cream, ¼ cup (30 g) confectioners' sugar, ½ tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla extract
Once the cupcakes are completely cool, spoon or pipe the whipped cream onto each cupcake and finish with fresh berries before serving.
2 cup (240 g) fresh berries such as blueberries and raspberries

Notes

Separate the eggs while they're cold, then let the egg whites come to room temperature before whipping.
Fresh egg whites work best. Carton egg whites don't whip to the same volume.
If you don't have superfine sugar, pulse granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground.
Don't skip the triple sifting. It helps the dry ingredients fold into the egg whites more evenly.
Stop whipping at soft peaks. Overwhipped egg whites can reduce the volume of the finished cupcakes.
Fold the batter gently and stop as soon as the flour disappears.
This recipe makes 16 cupcakes, so you'll need two standard muffin tins. It's perfectly fine if some muffin cups are empty.
For the freshest presentation, add the whipped cream and berries just before serving.

If you’re making these Angel Food Cupcakes, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card.

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Have you made these Angel Food Cupcakes? I’d love to hear how they turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Angel Food Cupcakes appeared first on Noble Pig.

Chicago Hot Dog Pigs in a Blanket

Cathy Pollak — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 17:29:49 +0000

Chicago hot dog pigs in a blanket are my answer to turning a fully loaded Chicago dog into something you can serve at a party. The toppings are divided between the pastry and a creamy mustard relish dip so every bite is crispy instead of soggy.

Chicago Hot Dog Pigs in a Blanket with All the Flavors of a Chicago Dog

Chicago hot dogs already have a devoted following, so I knew I couldn’t just sprinkle celery salt on a pig in a blanket and call it a “recipe.” I also have a weakness for taking one food and turning it into another. I used classic sport peppers to bake alongside the beef franks, while the mustard, relish, onion, and tomato end up in a creamy dipping sauce that brings the rest of the Chicago dog experience along with it.

We were a strict Los Angeles Dodgers family. Baseball was never an occasional thing in our house. It was on all the time during baseball season, and every once in a while the Cubs would show up on television. Whenever they did, I knew my dad would be making Chicago dogs.

I’ve written before about my dad’s connection to the Chicago Cubs. Before World War II interrupted his baseball career, he pitched for the Los Angeles Angels, the Cubs’ top farm team at the time. As a little kid, though, none of that meant much to me. The Cubs would show up on TV, my dad would make Chicago dogs, and I was immediately interested.

And because kids love weirdness, the part I liked most was the relish.

Back then, my dad made his own bright green Chicago-style relish by adding a couple drops of blue food coloring to regular pickle relish. The second it showed up on the table, I was excited. That relish was radioactive, neon green, and looked like it needed a warning label. And I thought it was the greatest thing I’d ever seen.

At the time, Chicago dogs were just another baseball food to me (even though inherently, they were street food), right alongside a Dodger Dog. I never thought much about why they appeared whenever the Cubs were on television. Years later, it finally clicked. The Cubs were part of my dad’s story, so every now and then Chicago found its way into ours.

My Chicago hot dog pigs in a blanket take everything I loved about those homemade game-day hot dogs and turn them into party food. The sport peppers bake right alongside the little beef franks, while the mustard, relish, onion, and tomato become a creamy dip that has all the flavors of a Chicago dog without balancing seven toppings on top of a bun.

I still get excited when I see that bright green relish. Some habits apparently stick around longer than baseball seasons.

What Makes These Different

Most pigs in a blanket wrap the cocktail frank in dough and serve it with mustard on the side. I borrowed the flavors of a Chicago-style hot dog and reworked them into something that functions as a party appetizer.
The biggest challenge wasn’t wrapping a hot dog in puff pastry. It was figuring out how to keep the flavors of a Chicago dog without making the pastry soggy. A traditional Chicago dog piles mustard, relish, onion, tomato, sport peppers, and celery salt right on top of the hot dog. That works great in a bun. Puff pastry is a different story.
Instead of forcing every topping into the pastry, I divided the flavors between the pigs in a blanket and the dip. The beef franks, sport peppers, poppy seeds, and celery salt stay with the pastry, while the mustard, relish, onion, and tomato go into a creamy dipping sauce. Every ingredient still has a place, but the pastry stays crisp.
I wanted the sport peppers to bake directly alongside the franks rather than scattered on top afterward. That little detail means every bite gets some of the tangy heat that makes a Chicago dog immediately recognizable.

Ingredients

Puff Pastry – This is what gives these pigs in a blanket their flaky layers and crisp texture. It also stands up to the dipping sauce, which is important because nobody stops at one or five.
Beef Cocktail Franks – Traditional Chicago-style hot dogs are made with all-beef franks. Using them here keeps the recipe connected to its inspiration and gives the filling a richer flavor.
Sport Peppers – Sport peppers have the tangy heat that makes a Chicago dog immediately recognizable. If you can’t find them, pepperoncini are the closest substitute.
Egg and Water – A quick egg wash helps the pastry bake up golden and shiny instead of pale.
Poppy Seeds – Chicago dogs are traditionally served on poppy seed buns, so a sprinkle on top helps carry that detail into the finished appetizer.
Celery Salt – Chicago dog fans can spot celery salt immediately. A little goes a long way and helps tie the whole recipe together.
Mayonnaise – Creates the creamy base of the dipping sauce and brings together the mustard, relish, onion, and tomato.
Yellow Mustard – Bright, classic yellow mustard keeps the dip firmly rooted in Chicago dog tradition.
Chicago-Style Sweet Relish – The bright green relish is part of the fun. If you can’t find it, regular sweet pickle relish works perfectly well and still has the flavor. A couple drops of blue food dye will turn it green.
White Onion – Grated onion blends into the sauce so you get the flavor instead of the occasional giant chunk.
Sport Pepper Brine – A splash of brine reinforces the pepper flavor.
Tomato – Fresh tomato gets added right before serving so it stays fresh and doesn’t thin out the dip.

How to Make Chicago Hot Dog Pigs in a Blanket

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

Step One (get the pastry ready)
Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. If the puff pastry starts sticking, give the counter a light dusting of flour. Roll the pastry enough to smooth it out, then cut it into 25 squares. Nobody is bringing out a ruler for this.
Step Two (wrap everything up)
Set a cocktail frank diagonally across each square and place a sport pepper right alongside it. Whisk together the egg and water, then brush one corner of each square with the egg wash. Fold the opposite corner over first, then bring the egg-washed corner over the top and press gently to seal. Leave the ends of the franks sticking out. They look better that way and help everyone recognize what they’re grabbing off the platter.
Step Three (make them look like Chicago dogs)
Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash and scatter over the poppy seeds and celery salt. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden, puffed, and flaky. Let them cool for about 5 minutes on the pan unless you’re interested in finding out how hot sport peppers can get.
Step Four (stir together the dip)
While the pigs in a blanket bake, stir together the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, relish, grated onion, sport pepper brine, and celery salt. The mixture should taste like somebody convinced a Chicago dog to become a dipping sauce.
Step Five (finish and serve)
Spoon the dip into a serving bowl and scatter the diced tomato over the top right before serving. Keeping the tomato on top instead of stirring it in helps the dip stay thick while the tomato stays fresh. Serve everything warm and watch people become very protective of the platter.

Recipe Tips

Pat the sport peppers dry before assembling. A little moisture isn’t a problem, but soaking wet peppers will keep the pastry from getting as crisp as it should.
Leave the ends of the franks exposed. It helps everything bake evenly and makes it obvious that these are pigs in a blanket and not tiny mystery pastries.
Be a little stingy with the celery salt. Between the franks, sport peppers, and dip, there’s already plenty going on.
Add the tomato to the dip right before serving. Stirring it in too early will thin the dip and take away some of the fresh tomato flavor.
Make more than you think you’ll need. Twenty-five sounds like a lot until everyone starts grabbing seconds. This recipe scales easily if you’re feeding a crowd.

Storage

Chicago hot dog pigs in a blanket are at their best the day they’re baked, when the pastry is crisp and flaky. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For the best texture, reheat them in a 350°F (175°C) oven or air fryer until warmed through and crisp again. The microwave will work, but the pastry won’t be nearly as crisp.
Store the dip separately and add fresh tomato just before serving.

FAQs

Can I use crescent dough instead of puff pastry?
Yes. Crescent dough is fine, but the finished texture will be softer and more bread-like. Puff pastry is where the flaky layers and crisp edges come from.
What can I use instead of sport peppers?
Pepperoncini are the closest substitute and have a similar tangy bite. The flavor won’t be exactly the same, but they’ll still be delicious.
Can I make them ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble the pigs in a blanket several hours ahead and refrigerate them until you’re ready to bake. Wait to brush on the egg wash until just before they go into the oven.
Why is the tomato added to the dip instead of baked into the pastry?
A traditional Chicago dog has fresh tomato, but tomato and puff pastry aren’t always the best roommates. Adding it to the dip keeps the pastry crisp.
Do I have to use the bright green Chicago-style relish?
No. The bright green relish is part of the classic Chicago dog look, but regular sweet pickle relish is fine if the neon green color is not important to you.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes. This recipe scales very easily and is one of my favorite appetizers for game days and parties.

From My Kitchen Notes

Existential observations from the margin notes.

Some things are easier to enjoy when they stop pretending to be complicated. Food and people.
The best part was never the radioactive relish. That’s a lie. It was absolutely the radioactive relish.
The relish may be radioactive, but it never scared me away. Some things look alarming at first and turn out to be the best part.
Sport peppers are tiny and almost impossible to not notice. Everybody should be so lucky.
The sport peppers go right into the middle instead of ending up safely off to the side where they can’t affect anything.
Leaving important ingredients out doesn’t make them disappear.
Proximity isn’t always the problem people think it is. Some foods improve when everything gets a little closer together.
Puff pastry has always rewarded commitment. Once you start wrapping, you need to finish.
So many people insist on authenticity. Then there are those of us willing to wrap a cocktail frank in puff pastry and call it a Chicago dog.
Every family has a tradition that makes perfect sense once somebody explains it. Mine involved blue food coloring and baseball.
Sometimes the explanation arrives decades after the hot dog.
Sometimes you don’t realize what things are until they’re already true.
It’s possible to spend years looking directly at something and only understand it later.
There is a difference between understanding something and being perceptive enough to recognize it.
A surprising amount of my life has been repetition slowly revealing its purpose.
Clarity rarely arrives at the beginning of the story.
Some things only make sense years later.
There comes a point where being understood and being willing become two different conversations and decisions.

More Appetizers That Started as Something Else

Hot Honey Peach Chicken and Waffle Bites – chicken and waffles, party-sized.
Crispy Rice Crab Rangoon Bites – crab rangoon on crispy rice.
Tater Tot Poutine – cheese curds, gravy, crispy tots.
Fried Dill Pickle Dip – pickle dip with buttery topping.
Jalapeño Popper Dip – creamy, cheesy, jalapeño-loaded dip.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Chicago Hot Dog Pigs in a Blanket

Chicago hot dog pigs in a blanket turn a fully loaded Chicago dog into a party-friendly appetizer. Sport peppers bake alongside beef cocktail franks in flaky puff pastry while a creamy mustard relish dip brings the rest of the classic Chicago dog toppings to the table.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword Chicago hot dog appetizer, Chicago hot dogs pigs in a blanket, cocktail franks, game day appetizer, pigs in a blanket, puff pastry appetizer, sport peppers

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Total Time 45

Servings pigs in a blanket

Calories 115kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

baking sheet Holds the pigs in a blanket while they bake.
parchment paper Prevents sticking and makes cleanup easier.
Pizza Cutter or sharp knife. For cutting puff pastry in even squares.
mixing bowls For mixing the egg wash and making the mustard relish dip.
pastry brush Helps evenly apply the egg wash.
rolling pin To roll out the puff pastry.

Ingredients

Pigs in a Blanket:

all-purpose flour for dusting, if needed
1 sheet (245 g) puff pastry thawed (best if thawed in the fridge overnight)
25 beef cocktail franks (there are many brands, Hillshire Farms, Vienna Beef, Nathan's etc)
25 small sport peppers or pepperoncini
1 large egg
1 tsp (5 ml) water
1 tbsp (9 g) poppy seeds
½ tsp (1.5 g) celery salt

Creamy Mustard Relish Dip:

½ cup (115 g) mayonnaise
¼ cup (60 g) yellow mustard
3 tbsps (45 g) Chicago-style sweet relish or regular sweet pickle relish
1 tbsp (15 g) grated white onion
1 tsp (5 ml) sport pepper brine or pepperoncini brine
¼ tsp (0.75 g) celery salt
¼ cup (40 g) seeded and finely diced tomato

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Dust the work surface lightly with flour if the pastry feels sticky. Roll the puff pastry just enough to even the surface, then cut it into 25 equal squares.
all-purpose flour , 1 sheet (245 g) puff pastry
Place one cocktail frank diagonally across the center of each pastry square. Place one sport pepper strip next to the frank.
25 beef cocktail franks, 25 small sport peppers
Whisk the egg and water together in a small bowl until smooth.
1 large egg, 1 tsp (5 ml) water
Brush one corner of each pastry square with the egg wash. Fold the opposite corner over the frank, then fold the egg-washed corner over the top. Leave both ends of the frank exposed and press the overlap gently so it stays closed while baking. Arrange the pigs in a blanket on the prepared baking sheet.
Brush the tops with the remaining egg wash, then sprinkle with the poppy seeds and celery salt.
1 tbsp (9 g) poppy seeds, ½ tsp (1.5 g) celery salt
Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed, golden brown, and crisp. Let the pigs in a blanket cool on the pan for 5 minutes.
While the pigs in a blanket bake, stir the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, relish, grated onion, sport pepper brine, and celery salt together in a mixing bowl until combined. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl.
½ cup (115 g) mayonnaise, ¼ cup (60 g) yellow mustard, 3 tbsps (45 g) Chicago-style sweet relish, 1 tbsp (15 g) grated white onion, 1 tsp (5 ml) sport pepper brine, ¼ tsp (0.75 g) celery salt
Top the dip with the diced tomato right before serving. Do not stir the tomato into the dip so the sauce stays thick and the tomato stays fresh.
¼ cup (40 g) seeded and finely diced tomato
Serve the warm pigs in a blanket with the mustard relish dip on the side for the full Chicago dog experience.

Notes

Pat the cocktail franks and sport peppers dry before assembling. Excess moisture will soften the puff pastry.
Leave the tomato on top of the dip rather than stirring it in. This keeps the dip thick and prevents excess moisture from watering it down.
Pepperoncini can be substituted for sport peppers if needed.
Crescent dough sheets can be used instead of puff pastry, though the finished texture will be softer and less flaky.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven or air fryer until warmed through and crisp.

If you’re making these Chicago Hot Dogs Pigs in a Blanket, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Have you made these Chicago Hot Dogs Pigs in a Blanket? I’d love to hear how they turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Chicago Hot Dog Pigs in a Blanket appeared first on Noble Pig.

Corn Succotash

Cathy Pollak — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 17:51:42 +0000

Corn succotash combines sweet corn, edamame, crispy bacon, and juicy tomatoes in one skillet. Every spoonful is packed with sweet corn, smoky bacon, tender vegetables, and plenty of texture.

Corn Succotash with Edamame and Bacon

I’ve taken a different approach to traditional corn succotash, which normally relies on lima beans. Instead, I use edamame along with sweet corn, crispy bacon, peppers, onions, and juicy tomatoes. Everything cooks together in bacon drippings, creating a side dish with plenty of texture and enough flavor to pair well with anything coming off the grill.

When I was little, one of my favorite cartoons was Tweety Bird and Sylvester the Cat. This is almost cliché and I’m dating myself here, but if you remember, Sylvester was always running around yelling, “Sufferin’ succotash!” and I remember at some point finally asking my parents what succotash was. Honestly, I thought it meant some kind of catastrophe, not vegetables.

My mom told me it was something made with corn. Well, I loved corn. What kid doesn’t. And eventually I talked about it enough that she finally made it and that’s the day I discovered lima beans.

Let’s just say, the corn was innocent, the lima beans were not.

Until that moment I had never had lima beans, and I remember looking down at my plate wondering what those pale green and almost gray blobs were. They looked weird. They had that strange color lima beans get once they’re cooked. I remember not wanting any part of it.

But because I was consistently held to having impeccable manners, me saying that the lima beans had ruined everything was not considered an acceptable response. I sort of said it anyway, which was always to my detriment.

Needless to say, my first experience with succotash did not go well.

Somewhere between then and decades later, I started thinking about succotash again and realized my problem had never been the corn or the bacon, it was always the lima beans.

Ultimately, I kicked them out.

Instead, I use edamame, which has a firmer texture and more bite than the mushy lima beans. Plus, unlike five-year-old me, most kids today already know what edamame is. They’ve shelled it at restaurant tables, eaten it as a snack, and it’s not some sort of unfamiliar vegetable. It’s a completely normal ingredient to them. In a way, this recipe is for them, maybe especially for them.

The outcome is everything I wanted corn succotash to be when I first heard Sylvester yelling about it all those years ago. Sweet corn, crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, and enough color that it doesn’t look like vegetable wallpaper sitting in a bowl. My recipe is where the corn gets to be the best part. And there is no mush in sight.

What Makes This Recipe Different

The biggest difference is the edamame. Traditional succotash relies on lima beans, but I wanted something with a firmer texture and more bite. Edamame has a firmer texture, a milder flavor, and holds together alongside the corn and bacon without turning soft and mushy.
I cooked everything in the bacon drippings, because obviously, which gives the veggies a smoky flavor before the bacon even goes back into the skillet. Between the bacon drippings and the butter, the corn and edamame pick up a lot more flavor than they would if they were simply warmed through.
I also add the tomatoes at the very end. I want them to slightly warm and release some of their juiciness, and still look like tomatoes. If they cook too long, they start breaking down into the vegetables, and I like the contrast they bring to the skillet.
The splash of apple cider vinegar goes in near the end for the same reason. Corn is sweet, bacon is rich and butter isn’t known for holding back. The vinegar keeps those flavors from becoming too rich and gives the skillet a little contrast.
And while fresh summer corn is great when it’s in season, I purposefully made this with frozen corn and frozen edamame. They’re convenient, but more importantly they are available year-round. That means you can make a skillet of succotash in the middle of July or put it on the Thanksgiving table without changing a thing.

Ingredients

Sweet Corn – The foundation of the entire dish. Sweet corn has the sweetness that balances the smoky bacon and tangy vinegar. You can use frozen or fresh.
Edamame – Adds substance to the recipe, which sounds so dramatic, and turns it into something that feels a little more substantial than a simple vegetable side dish.
Bacon – The giver, providing both crispy pieces throughout the finished dish and the flavorful drippings used to cook the vegetables.
Butter – This helps coat the vegetables and brings a richness that works especially well with the corn. The butter does add a lot of flavor to this recipe, especially if you use a better tasting European butter, such as Kerrygold.
Bell Pepper – Adds color, sweetness, and another layer of chew alongside the corn and edamame.
Vidalia Onion – Softens into the skillet and adds sweetness that complements the corn without competing with it.
Garlic – Adds another layer of flavor to the skillet.
Grape Tomatoes – Adds freshness, color, and little bursts of juicy acidity throughout the dish. I add them at the end so they stay intact.
Lawry’s Total Seasoning – I don’t use a lot of seasoning blends like this, but for whatever reason it made a difference in how this tasted. It gave the vegetables a well-seasoned flavor that I wasn’t getting with the combinations of spices I tried.
Apple Cider Vinegar – A small splash at the end keeps the sweet corn, bacon, and butter from becoming too rich.
Kosher Salt – Helps bring out the natural sweetness of the corn and vegetables. I recommend tasting the finished dish before adding any additional salt.
Black Pepper – Adds a little warmth. Taste the finished dish before adding more.

How to Make Corn Succotash

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

Step One (cook the bacon)
Add the diced bacon to a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat and cook until it’s as crispy as you like it. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, but leave the drippings in the skillet. We’re about to put them to work.
Step Two (cook the peppers and onions)
Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute, just until you can smell it.
Step Three (add the corn and edamame)
Add the corn, edamame, butter, and Lawry’s Total Seasoning. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is hot and tender. This is where the corn starts soaking up all that bacon and butter.
Step Four (finish the succotash)
Stir in the apple cider vinegar and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 2 more minutes, long enough to warm them through. I like adding them at the end because I want little juicy tomatoes throughout the skillet, not tomato sauce.
Step Five (add the bacon and serve)
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir the bacon back in. Serve it warm or room temperature with grilled chicken, burgers, pork chops, steak, or whatever happens to be coming off the grill that night.

Recipe Tips

Thaw the corn and edamame before cooking if you have time. You’ll get less moisture in the skillet and better flavor development on the vegetables.
Let the bacon get crisp before removing it from the skillet. It will soften slightly once it’s stirred back into the vegetables.
Give the peppers and onions a few minutes to soften before adding the remaining ingredients. They should be tender, not crunchy.
Taste before serving. Bacon, seasoning blends, and even frozen vegetables can vary, so I always do one final taste for salt and pepper at the end.
This recipe is easy to scale up for cookouts, potlucks, and backyard barbecues. Just use your biggest skillet.

Storage

Store leftover corn succotash in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
The flavors mingle a little more overnight, making leftovers just as good the next day.
Leftovers can be enjoyed warm, cold, or somewhere in between.
I don’t usually freeze this one. The veggies tend to lose some of their texture once thawed.

FAQs

Can I use fresh corn instead of frozen?
Yes. If sweet corn is in season, cut the kernels from about 6 to 8 ears of corn and use them in place of the frozen corn.
Can I make corn succotash ahead of time?
Yes. You can make it a day ahead and refrigerate it until needed. Reheat gently before serving or let it come closer to room temperature.
Can I make this vegetarian?
You can. Skip the bacon and sauté the vegetables in butter or olive oil instead. You may want to add a little smoked paprika for some of the smoky flavor the bacon normally provides.
Can I use a different seasoning blend?
Yes. Lawry’s Total Seasoning is my favorite for this one, but you can substitute your favorite all-purpose seasoning blend and adjust the salt to taste.
Can I use lima beans instead of edamame?
Yes. Traditional succotash is often made with lima beans, so you can substitute them if you prefer. I use edamame because I like the texture better.
What goes well with corn succotash?
Just about anything coming off the grill. It’s especially good alongside grilled chicken, steak, pork chops, burgers, sausages, or barbecue.
Can I serve corn succotash at room temperature?
Yes. In fact, it’s one of the reasons I like it for barbecues and summer gatherings. Traditionally it’s served warm, but I like it at room temperature.

From My Kitchen Notes

Observations from the margins.

What the heck does succotash even mean anyway? Don’t tell me and I refuse to look it up. I like holding on to the fact that it’s something unpleasant, like my first experience with succotash was, or corn ruined by lima beans.
Nothing about the word succotash suggests sweet corn, bacon, juicy tomatoes, or butter. Instead, it sounds like a skin condition, betrayal, detention, or something your doctor finds during a colonoscopy.
Five-year-old me was sitting there thinking, “Why did you wreck perfectly good corn?”
Succotash felt like, somebody took perfectly good corn and wrecked it. Because when you’re a kid, there isn’t a nuanced evaluation of legumes happening. There’s just, this is good or this is a crime.
My experience with lima beans has never just been “I hated lima beans.” The real story is, I hated lima beans and was not allowed to express that fact in a manner consistent with my feelings.
I grew up in a household of, you will sit there, you will try it, you will appreciate that somebody made it, and you will not make a face. Meanwhile, I was sitting there thinking this dinner is defective.
People who know me now might assume I’ve always been direct, but I wasn’t. I spent a lot of years filtering myself through expectations, presentation, composure, and worrying about what other people might think. I don’t do that anymore.
Now my tendency is to make observations without looking for permission. Not rudely or recklessly. Just honestly.
I’ve learned not to mistake different for wrong.
Some combinations work because everything is different, not because everything matches.
The most interesting things in the skillet are usually bringing something completely different to the table.
Some things belong together without needing to become the same thing. The best partnerships involve contrast.
Some things don’t become less themselves when they’re part of something bigger.
A surprising number of good things begin as separate ingredients with no obvious plan.
The funny thing about belonging is that it usually becomes obvious long before anybody says it out loud.
I gave succotash another chance. The lima beans did not receive the same courtesy.
I never decided I was wrong about lima beans. I decided to rebuild succotash from the ground up and remove the problem.
I secretly hope somewhere a member of the Lima Bean Council just felt a disturbance in the force.
If succotash was invented today it would probably be called Bacon Corn Skillet and somebody would charge $18 for it.

More Side Dishes That Don’t Feel Like Punishment

Crispy Smashed Potato Salad – Crispy edges and lemon dressing.
Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Salad – Rotisserie chicken and basil.
Greek Mosaic Salad – Watermelon, feta, cucumber, olives.
Avocado and Three Bean Salad – Simple ingredients, big flavor.
Chilled Pineapple Cucumber Salad – Sweet, spicy, and refreshing.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Corn Succotash

Corn Succotash with sweet corn, edamame, bacon, peppers, onions, and tomatoes cooked together in one skillet. This easy side dish pairs perfectly with grilled meats, cookouts, and summer dinners.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword barbecue side dish, corn succotash, corn succotash with bacon, corn succotash with edamame, skillet corn succotash, succotash recipe, summer side dish

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings to 6

Calories 280kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

large high-sided skillet Gives the vegetables enough room to cook evenly.
Cutting board For prepping the vegetables and bacon.
wooden spoon or spatula. For stirring the vegetables.

Ingredients

6 slices bacon diced
½ cup (75 g) Vidalia onion
1 red or orange bell pepper seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 (12-oz / 340 g) frozen corn thawed, or 6-8 ears of corn
12 oz (340 g) frozen shelled edamame beans thawed
3 tbsps (42 g) butter
2 tsps (5 g) Lawry's Total Seasoning
2 tbsps (30 ml) apple cider vinegar
1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt or to taste
1 tsp (2 g) black pepper or to taste
1 pint (280 g) grape tomatoes halved

Instructions

Add the bacon to a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat and cook until it reaches your desired level of crispness. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the drippings in the skillet.
6 slices bacon
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and bell pepper to the bacon drippings. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
½ cup (75 g) Vidalia onion, 1 red or orange bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic
Add the corn, edamame, butter, and Lawry's Total Seasoning. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and heated through.
2 (12-oz / 340 g) frozen corn, 12 oz (340 g) frozen shelled edamame beans, 3 tbsps (42 g) butter, 2 tsps (5 g) Lawry's Total Seasoning
Stir in the apple cider vinegar and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes, just until warmed through and still holding their shape.
2 tbsps (30 ml) apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp (5 g) kosher salt, 1 tsp (2 g) black pepper, 1 pint (280 g) grape tomatoes
Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the bacon, and serve warm or room temp.
6 slices bacon

Notes

Edamame replaces the traditional lima beans found in many succotash recipes, giving the dish a firmer texture
For the best texture, thaw the corn and edamame before cooking. Starting with frozen vegetables can add excess moisture to the skillet and increase the cooking time.
The tomatoes are added at the end so they stay juicy and hold their shape rather than cooking down into the vegetables.
This corn succotash pairs well with grilled chicken, pork chops, steak, burgers, barbecue, or smoked meats.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

If you’re making this Corn Succotash, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Have you made this Corn Succotash? I’d love to hear how it turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Corn Succotash appeared first on Noble Pig.

No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake

Cathy Pollak — Sun, 24 May 2026 16:31:37 +0000

No-bake strawberry lemon icebox cake keeps things cold and creamy with lemon curd, fresh strawberries, mascarpone whipped cream, and overnight-softened graham cracker layers.

No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake With Mascarpone Whipped Cream

This no-bake strawberry lemon icebox cake is going to feel really simple while you’re making it, then surprise you after a night in the fridge. The graham crackers soften into thin cake-like layers, the mascarpone whipped cream finds its way into everything around it, and the lemon curd cuts through everything the way strawberries need. It’s cold, creamy, and a little messy to slice. The kind of dessert you forget how much you like until you take the first bite.

I think my entire obsession with strawberry and lemon together started at Du-par’s at the original Farmers Market on Fairfax in Los Angeles.

My dad and I used to go there for pie, and even if we were taking a whole pie home, we’d still sit down and order slices while we were there because moderation was never really part of the plan.

I always wanted the strawberry pie because it came with pink whipped cream, which felt very important to me at the time. But they also had a lemon cream pie, and one day the two ended up on the same plate. The strawberry filling mixed into the lemon cream, the pink whipped cream got rearranged with it, and that’s when I understood something my child brain couldn’t fully explain yet.

Sweet strawberries really need lemon. And not enough to take over the dessert, but enough to make the strawberries stand out. I’ve loved the two flavors together ever since.

If you want the more classic kind without the lemon curd and mascarpone, my older no-bake strawberry icebox cake is soft, sweeter, and more nostalgic.

This no-bake strawberry lemon icebox cake gets surprisingly close to that first bite at Du-par’s. Cold mascarpone whipped cream, bright lemon curd, soft graham cracker layers, and strawberries that taste more like strawberries once the lemon gets involved.

I think part of why I like icebox cakes so much is that they improve while you ignore them. There’s no last-minute frosting stress or careful assembly right before everyone arrives. I make the layers, shove the thing in the fridge overnight, and sometime around the next afternoon it turns into a cake without much help from me. This one especially does it just right. The mascarpone gives it more richness than the usual ones with whipped topping, while the lemon curd keeps the cold cream and strawberries from tasting too sweet.

What Makes This Different

A lot of icebox cakes are heavy on pudding mixes or whipped topping, which gives them more of a soft supermarket bakery texture. Mascarpone changes that, making the filling thicker, colder, and more substantial. After a night in the fridge, the layers feel more like cake instead of soft mousse.
The lemon curd also stays separate instead of getting mixed into the mascarpone cream. Keeping the lemon in its own layer keeps the flavor more distinct and noticeable against the strawberries and cold cream instead of turning into one vague citrus flavor.
The graham crackers are where the overnight refrigerator magic happens. They absorb moisture from the mascarpone cream and lemon curd slowly, softening into thin cake-like layers. This is one of those desserts that feels dramatically better the next day than it does right after assembly.
I also rub the lemon zest directly into the sugar before whipping the filling because it pulls the oils out of the zest first instead of leaving random lemon zest bits floating around in the cream. Tiny step. Big difference.

Ingredients

Granulated sugar – Mixed with fresh lemon zest before whipping so the citrus oils spread through the mascarpone cream instead of sitting in uneven through the cream.
Fresh lemon zest – Gives the filling lemon flavor before the lemon curd layers arrive.
Heavy whipping cream – Keeps the mascarpone filling light enough to spread without turning dense.
Vanilla bean paste – Since nothing gets baked, the vanilla flavor stays really noticeable. Vanilla bean paste gives the filling a fuller flavor than extract alone.
Mascarpone cheese – Makes the filling thicker, colder, and richer than regular whipped cream by itself. It’s what gives this dessert a soft cake-meets-tiramisu texture after chilling overnight.
Lemon curd – Adds concentrated lemon flavor without watering down the mascarpone filling.
Graham crackers – They slowly soften overnight into thin cake-like layers in the fridge.
Fresh strawberries – Thin slices work better than chunks because they layer more evenly and keep the dessert easier to slice once chilled.

How To Make No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

Step One (make the mascarpone cream)
Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving enough hanging over the sides to lift the cake out later. Rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers until it smells intensely lemony, then add it to a mixer bowl with the mascarpone, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste. Whip until thick, creamy, and able to hold soft peaks. You want it thick enough to spread without turning stiff.
Step Two (start the layers)
Spread a thin layer of mascarpone cream onto the bottom of the pan so the graham crackers don’t slide all over the place. Add a layer of graham crackers, spread one-fourth of the mascarpone cream over the top, then spoon ½ cup of lemon curd across the surface. Don’t stress over perfectly even layers. Icebox cakes are forgiving. Top with another layer of graham crackers.
Step Three (add the strawberries)
Spread another layer of mascarpone cream over the graham crackers, then cover the surface with thinly sliced strawberries. Thin slices work better than chunks because they layer more evenly and make it easuer to slice once cold. Top with another layer of graham crackers.
Step Four (finish and chill)
Spread another layer of mascarpone cream over the graham crackers, then add the remaining lemon curd. Top with the final layer of graham crackers and spread the remaining mascarpone cream over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours, until the graham crackers soften into soft cake-like layers.
Step Five (slice and serve)
Lift the chilled cake out of the pan using the parchment overhang and move it to a serving platter. Top with extra strawberries and lemon zest before slicing. The layers stay cold and creamy while the graham crackers soften enough to cut like cake.

Recipe Tips

The mascarpone mixture should hold soft peaks before layering. If it still looks loose, the layers won’t stay as neat once sliced.
Thin strawberry slices are more important than perfect strawberry slices. Thick pieces make the layers uneven and tend to move around once the cake chills.
If your graham crackers crack while layering, ignore it and keep going. After a night in the fridge nobody will know where the broken pieces were anyway.
The cake slices neater after sitting out for about 10 minutes instead of cutting it straight from the fridge.
An offset spatula makes the mascarpone cream easier to spread without messing up the layers underneath it.

Storage

By the second day the layers soften even more and slice almost like real cake. I think the day-two slices are better than the first.
Keep the cake refrigerated and loosely covered for up to 3 or 4 days. The strawberries release a little more juice over time, but the flavor somehow keeps getting better.
Frozen slices are also surprisingly good. After about 15 minutes on the counter they end up somewhere between icebox cake and semifreddo.

FAQs

Can I make this no-bake strawberry lemon icebox cake ahead of time?
Yes, and you need to. Icebox cakes need time in the fridge for the layers to fully come together. Overnight is ideal.
Can I use whipped topping instead of mascarpone?
You can, but the texture changes quite a bit. Mascarpone gives the filling a thicker, colder texture that feels more substantial than whipped topping.
Can I use frozen strawberries?
Fresh strawberries work best because frozen berries release too much liquid once thawed and will make the layers watery.
Why didn’t my graham crackers soften?
Usually either the cake didn’t chill long enough or the mascarpone mixture was whipped too stiff and couldn’t spread enough moisture into the crackers. Give it a full overnight rest before deciding the texture isn’t right.
Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone?
You can, but cream cheese has a tangier, denser flavor and texture. Mascarpone stays softer and lets the lemon and strawberries stay more noticeable.
Can I make this in a 9 x 13-inch pan?
Yes. You can double the recipe for thicker layers or keep the same amount for a thinner, more casual version that feeds more people.

From My Kitchen Notes

Observations from my kitchen. Not recipe tips.

Some desserts belong to adults, but this one reminds me of what it felt like to press two things together on the same plate just to see what would happen.
Lemon has become corrective to me. Strawberries alone can go full pageant queen if nobody keeps them in check.
Some things transform overnight. This applies to desserts and people.
Graham crackers absorb everything around them until they stop resisting and turn soft. Interpret that however you’d like.
Cold desserts at midnight are different than cold desserts during the day. Daytime says picnic. Midnight says emotional dependency.
Pink whipped cream altered my brain chemistry permanently.
Some people hang out around sweetness their entire lives but only really respond once lemon shows up.
The desserts people remember are usually the ones with a little tension in them.
Strawberry and lemon work because one softens while the other refuses to disappear.
The best desserts usually involve a little contrast and at least one bad idea.
The lemon keeps this from becoming too sentimental.
Some flavors immediately know what to do with each other. Others take years.

More Refrigerator Desserts for Hot Weather

Blueberry Cheesecake Icebox Cake – cold blueberry cheesecake-style layers.
Lemon Tiramisu – lemon curd and soaked ladyfingers.
No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars – creamy layers and strawberry topping.
Hawaiian Dream Dessert Cups – pineapple, coconut, chilled pudding layers.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake

No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake layers mascarpone whipped cream, lemon curd, fresh strawberries, and graham crackers into a cold make-ahead dessert that softens overnight into cake-like layers.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword blueberry graham cracker dessert, cold strawberry dessert, layered refrigerator dessert, lemon icebox cake, make-ahead dessert, mascarpone dessert, no-bake strawberry icebox cake, no-bake strawberry lemon icebox cake, no-bake summer dessert, strawberry icebox cake, strawberry lemon dessert

Prep Time 30

Chilling 8

Total Time 8 30

Servings

Calories 575kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

baking dish 9x9 (23x23 cm). Deep enough for multiple layers.
parchment paper Helps lift the cake out easily.
Stand Mixer or hand mixer. For whipping the mascarpone cream.
offset spatula Makes spreading the layers easier.
mixing bowls For making the mascarpone whipped cream.

Ingredients

½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
2 tsps (12 g) lemon zest from 1 large or 2 small lemons
1 pint (2 cups / 16 oz / 473 ml) heavy whipping cream cold
1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
16 oz (454 g) mascarpone cheese cold
1 box (14.4 oz / 408 g) graham crackers
1 cup (260 g) lemon curd
16 oz (454 g) fresh strawberries hulled and thinly sliced

Instructions

Line a 9 x 9-inch (23 x 23 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on all sides to help lift the cake out later.
Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest to a small bowl. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips for about 1 minute until fragrant.
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 2 tsps (12 g) lemon zest
Add the cold heavy cream, vanilla bean paste, mascarpone cheese, and lemon sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed until the mascarpone loosens and the mixture begins to thicken. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating until thick, creamy, and able to hold soft peaks.
1 pint (2 cups / 16 oz / 473 ml) heavy whipping cream, 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla bean paste, 16 oz (454 g) mascarpone cheese
Spread a very thin layer of mascarpone cream onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Arrange a single layer of graham crackers over the cream, breaking pieces as needed to cover the bottom of the pan without overlapping.
1 box (14.4 oz / 408 g) graham crackers
Spread one-fourth of the mascarpone cream evenly over the graham crackers. Spoon ½ cup (130 g) lemon curd over the cream and gently spread into an even layer. Top with another layer of graham crackers.
1 cup (260 g) lemon curd
Spread another one-fourth of the mascarpone cream over the graham crackers. Arrange a layer of thinly sliced strawberries evenly over the cream. Top with another layer of graham crackers.
16 oz (454 g) fresh strawberries
Spread another one-fourth of the mascarpone cream over the graham crackers. Add the remaining ½ cup (130 g) lemon curd and spread into an even layer. Top with another layer of graham crackers.
Spread the remaining mascarpone cream evenly over the top. Cover the pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 8 hours, until the graham crackers soften into cake-like layers.
Use the parchment overhang to lift the chilled cake out of the pan and transfer it to a serving platter. Top with extra sliced strawberries and lemon zest before slicing.
Slice into 9 pieces and serve cold.

Notes

Rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar helps distribute the citrus flavor more evenly through the mascarpone cream.
Thin strawberry slices create cleaner layers and make the cake easier to slice once chilled.
A slightly under-whipped mascarpone mixture can loosen too much overnight, so the cream should be thick enough to hold soft peaks before layering.
If the graham crackers crack while layering, don’t worry about it. They soften overnight and won’t be noticeable once sliced.
The cake slices more cleanly after sitting at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The graham crackers continue softening as the cake sits, creating an even more cake-like texture by day two.
Freeze individual slices in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Let them sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes before serving.

If you’re making this No Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Have you made this No Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake? I’d love to hear how it turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post No-Bake Strawberry Lemon Icebox Cake appeared first on Noble Pig.

Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Salad

Cathy Pollak — Thu, 07 May 2026 16:41:22 +0000

Sun-dried tomato chicken pasta salad with rotisserie chicken, basil, Parmesan, and a dressing made with the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar so every bite picks up the concentrated flavor. Lemon juice and red wine vinegar keep it fresh and balanced instead of thick and overloaded.

This Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Salad Feels Very 1992

Sun-dried tomato chicken pasta salad usually goes one of two ways. Either it gets buried under a thick mayo dressing, or the sun-dried tomatoes feel tossed in at the last minute. I’ve always kept the dressing lighter and used the oil from the tomato jar itself along with Parmesan, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, basil, and rotisserie chicken so the sun-dried tomato flavor ends up throughout the whole salad instead of only in the tomatoes.

I’m sitting in my apartment, rocking back on two legs in a chair with a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes and a fork, completely fangirling over the intense tomato flavor like I was experiencing some kind of taste revelation. The second these jars started showing up in grocery stores in the late 80s and early 90s, the entire country collectively fell in love with this tomato + oil + garlic combination in a sort of Italian-adjacent fantasy and instantly lost perspective. Including me.

And honestly, it made no sense.

It’s not like sun-dried tomatoes were some shocking new discovery to me. I’d already seen tomatoes drying outside in Southern Italy years before, laid out in the hot summer sun so people would have them all winter long. The giant gardens taking over backyards everywhere you looked with tomatoes completely running their lives. None of this should have felt groundbreaking to me and yet somehow, I jumped on the bandwagon and became fully unreasonable anyway.

I started putting them into eggs, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and probably a few things that really had no business involving tomatoes at all. I’m drizzling the oil onto toast, into dressings, over leftovers, anything nearby. I was acting like tomatoes had just been invented, along with everyone else. Honestly, the obsession eventually turned into things like my sun-dried tomato pesto pasta too.

And somewhere in the middle of my sun-dried tomato obsession, I started making a version of this pasta salad and bringing it to work for lunch. This became a thing because somebody kept stealing it out of the office refrigerator. Every time I brought it, gone. Then one morning I made the same pasta salad except I’d run out of sun-dried tomatoes, so I left them out. The container disappeared from the refrigerator like usual, except later that afternoon it mysteriously reappeared untouched, which still makes me laugh because apparently the office lunch thief also had standards. And even though I can’t prove it, I hink it’s because the sun-dried tomatoes were not there. I still think of this person as my first accidental recipe tester.

So, this pasta salad has technically been causing incidents since the early 90s.

Over the years, I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time correcting every annoying thing that usually ruins this category of food, because somewhere along the line this category of pasta salad started turning into these overloaded bowls with chewy tomatoes, thick dressing, and too many ingredients trying to get attention at the same time. I’ve made sure this one keeps the concentrated tomato flavor that made us all obsessed in the first place, while spreading it through the dressing using the oil from the jar so the salad tastes bright and fresh straight out of the fridge instead of like a dusty deli-counter regret from the 90s.

What Makes This Different

Most sun-dried tomato pasta salads eventually fall into one of two categories: either they’re drowning in thick dressing and distractions, or they taste like somebody emptied an entire jar of tomatoes into cold pasta and hoped for the best. I have avoided both.
The biggest difference is that the dressing uses some of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar itself because that’s where most of the flavor is sitting anyway. A lot of recipes will stop at chopping up the tomatoes and tossing them in, but using the oil blends the concentrated tomato flavor through the entire salad instead of trapping it inside chewy tomato bites.
I wanted the dressing lighter than a typical deli-counter pasta salad that can turn dense and dull the second it hits the refrigerator. The lemon juice and red wine vinegar keep everything lively while the Parmesan gives it enough richness. The whole thing is still thriving the next day instead of tasting like it gave up overnight under plastic wrap.
There’s enough happening to make every bite interesting, but not so much that it turns into an antipasto salad. The rotisserie chicken, basil, roasted red peppers, red onion, and Parmesan all serve a purpose instead of competing with each other.

Ingredients

Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes – You want the kind packed in oil, not the dry chewy ones in a bag. The oil becomes part of the dressing, which is a big part of why this pasta salad tastes the way it does.
Rotini pasta – All those little spirals grab onto the dressing instead of letting it slide to the bottom of the bowl.
Rotisserie chicken – This keeps it firmly in easy lunch territory without requiring you to roast chicken just to make pasta salad.
Roasted red peppers – They soften the intensity of the sun-dried tomatoes so it doesn’t taste like somebody yelling “TUSCAN” directly into your face.
Red onion – Thin slices only. Big chunks of raw onion in cold pasta salad take over and then that’s all anybody remembers.
Fresh basil – This is what keeps it from tasting like it came from a refrigerated deli tub beside the macaroni salad.
Mayonnaise – Enough to hold everything together without turning the dressing thick and gloppy.
Parmesan cheese – Gives the dressing some depth and saltiness.
Oil from the tomato jar – Don’t skip this part. It’s the moment. The tomatoes themselves are not doing it all.
Lemon juice – Cold pasta needs acid or it starts tasting dull straight out of the refrigerator.
Red wine vinegar – Balances the concentrated tomato flavor.
Dijon mustard – Adds another layer of flavor.
Garlic – One clove is enough.
Italian seasoning – Adds background flavor without turning it into something that tastes like faux trattoria wallpaper.
Black pepper – Adds some edge so it doesn’t head into creamy picnic salad territory.

How to Make Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Salad

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

Step One (cook the pasta and let it cool)
Boil the rotini in heavily salted water until just al dente. You still want a little bite left in the pasta because cold pasta firms up more once it goes into the refrigerator. Drain it, rinse under cold water, then let it hang out in the colander for a few minutes so the extra water drains off well because watery pasta will wreck your dressing later.
Step Two (prep everything else)
Chop the rotisserie chicken into bite-sized pieces, then chop the sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers. Slice the red onion thin and roughly chop the basil. I like keeping everything fairly even-sized so you get a little bit of everything in each scoop instead of one giant onion chunk taking over the whole scoop.
Step Three (make the dressing)
Whisk together the mayo, Parmesan, oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper until smooth. The oil from the tomato jar is doing a lot flavor-wise, so don’t skip it unless you enjoy a bland pasta salad.
Step Four (mix it together)
Add the cooled pasta, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, red onion, and basil to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over everything and fold it together until evenly coated. You want the pasta to look dressed.
Step Five (chill before serving)
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 30 minutes before serving. Cold pasta absorbs dressing as it sits, which is why pasta salad usually tastes better after some time in the refrigerator.
Step Six (give it one last toss)
Right before serving, stir it again. If the pasta absorbed too much dressing while chilling, add a squeeze of lemon juice or a small spoonful of sun-dried tomato oil to loosen everything back up. Cold pasta salads almost always need a little revival before they hit the table, and ignoring that is how you end up with dry pasta salad at a baby shower.

Recipe Tips

Let the pasta drain longer than you think it needs to after rinsing. Water hiding inside the rotini will thin the dressing and end up tasting watery fast.
Slice the red onion thin. Cold pasta salads give raw onion a lot of time to make a presence. Thick chunks get much stronger overnight.
If you’re making this ahead, hold back a small spoonful of dressing until right before serving to freshen the texture before serving.
Don’t overdo the sun-dried tomatoes just because you’re attached to them.
The basil is more important than it seems. The fresh flavor is everything.
Rotisserie chicken is what makes this easy and it’s already seasoned so it doesn’t disappear beside the concentrated tomato flavor.
If the pasta salad tastes dull after chilling, it usually doesn’t need more salt. It needs acid. A squeeze of lemon will do it.
Keep the dressing lighter than you think you should at first. Cold pasta thickens everything once refrigerated, and what looks slightly loose at room temperature usually thickens up once chilled.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

This pasta salad keeps well in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 days, although it’s at its best during the first couple of days while the basil still tastes fresh and the dressing still feels fresh on the pasta. After sitting overnight, the rotini absorbs some of the dressing, which is normal, so don’t be surprised when it looks different straight from the fridge.
If you’re making this ahead for a party or cookout, you can also hold back a small amount of dressing and stir it in right before serving. That keeps the pasta salad from turning dry and refrigerator-weary by the time people get to it.
We’re not freezing this. We’re not freezing mayonnaise, basil, and cold pasta and then acting like anybody involved is going to enjoy the outcome later. Some things in life are meant to be made fresh and eaten cold straight from the refrigerator.

FAQs

Can I make sun-dried tomato chicken pasta salad ahead of time?
Yes, and it’s better after it sits for a little while because the dressing has time to absorb into the pasta. If you’re making it a full day ahead, hold back a small spoonful of dressing to stir in before serving so the pasta salad doesn’t feel dry by serving time.
Do I have to rinse the pasta?
For hot pasta dishes, usually no. For cold pasta salad, yes. Rinsing stops the cooking so the pasta doesn’t turn soft later, and it cools everything down so the dressing stays balanced instead of sliding off the hot pasta.
Can I use another pasta shape?
Yes, but stick with shapes that grab onto dressing well. Rotini catches the dressing and tiny bits of tomato, Parmesan, and basil instead of letting everything slide around separately at the bottom of the bowl.
Can I use grilled chicken instead of rotisserie chicken?
Definitely. Rotisserie chicken just keeps the whole thing easy and gives you a little extra seasoning and richness without additional work. Grilled chicken works too if you already have some leftover, but make sure it’s seasoned properly.
Can I make this without mayonnaise?
You can, but it changes the pasta salad quite a bit. The mayo gives the dressing enough creaminess to carry the sun-dried tomato flavor without making it oily.
Can I add more ingredients to this?
You can, but this is one of those recipes where holding back helps. Too many add-ins and suddenly everything starts competing with each other. If I wanted to add anything it would be canned artichoke hearts that were packed in oil.

From My Kitchen Notes

Notes from somewhere between memory and dinner.

There’s a point where obsession stops being about the ingredient itself and starts becoming about the version of yourself that existed while you were eating it.
I think we all underestimate how much food becomes attached to entire periods of life without realizing it at the time. One bite and I’m suddenly back in an apartment with bad blinds, a secondhand chair, and three dollars worth of confidence.
There’s something strangely intimate about eating the same thing over and over when nobody else is around to witness it.
I don’t think the 90s were better. I think we were all less reachable.
I feel like the foods we become irrationally attached to are usually the ones we ate while trying to build a life.
Sun-dried tomatoes still taste like independence to me. Tiny apartment, with the city outside the window, while trying to become a person.
There’s a point in adulthood where you think once your life finally comes together, you’ll stop eating things straight out of jars in your kitchen. That has not been my experience.
Memory is interesting. It preserves emotional texture better than facts. I couldn’t tell you what chair I was sitting in, but I can still feel the oil on my fingers.
I don’t think people miss old food trends as much as they miss who they were while those foods were happening.
I wasn’t in my house elegantly sampling imported Mediterranean ingredients. I was sitting in my apartment spiraling over sun-dried tomatoes like the rest of America. It was a specific human obsession.
I think a lot of adulthood is realizing nobody was ever coming to stop you from living however you wanted, including badly.
Nineties sun-dried tomato obsession made us all feel like we had just got off a plane from Tuscany and that makes me laugh now.
I used to think becoming an adult meant eventually feeling certain. Now I think it mostly means becoming familiar with uncertainty.
The 90s weren’t perfect but there was less comparison, surveillance, optimization, constant exposure to other people’s success and awareness of what everyone else was doing every second. You could become obsessed with sun-dried tomatoes, decorate your apartment badly, date the wrong person, wander around bookstores, disappear for a weekend, have weird little phases. All existing inside your life instead of inside a giant public mirror.
Now we are all constantly absorbing luxury lifestyles, beauty standards, success, productivity culture, relationship content, self-improvement language, wealth signaling, exotic travel, bodies, houses all day long. And it’s a lot. And we don’t know how to stop.
In the 90s (70s and 80s too) we had more tolerance for boredom, uncertainty, gradualness and not knowing what was next. Now everything feels accelerated, measured, compared, monetized and visible in a way that makes everyone else’s life feel like it’s moving faster than yours. Even when that’s not true.
Sometimes I think memory feels so emotionally alive to me because there used to be more psychological privacy. I don’t think people realize how much of their personality is accumulated atmosphere.
Some people become part of your life the same way certain ingredients become part of a recipe. At some point you stop noticing when they got there because now the whole thing tastes wrong without them.
Some things don’t disappear during silence. They steep.

More Pasta Salads, Less Potluck Panic

Italian Pasta Salad – pesto, prosciutto, mozzarella, arugula.
Antipasto Pasta Salad – deli board energy.
Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad – creamy, cold, picnic-style.
Caprese Pasta Salad – basil, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Salad

This Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Salad combines rotini, rotisserie chicken, basil, Parmesan, roasted red peppers, and red onion in a lighter pasta salad dressing with lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. It’s an easy make-ahead pasta salad for lunches, potlucks, cookouts, and warm-weather dinners.

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken pasta salad, cold chicken pasta salad, pasta salad with chicken, summer pasta salad, sun-dried tomato chicken pasta salad

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Chilling 30

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 520kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

large pot For boiling the pasta.
Colander Helps drain and cool the pasta completely.
mixing bowls (large and medium). Tossing the pasta salas and whisking the dressing.
Chef's knife For chopping the chicken and vegetables.
whisk Helps fully combine the dressing ingredients.

Ingredients

Pasta Salad:

1 lb (454 g) rotini pasta
2 cups (280 g) chopped rotisserie chicken
½ cup (85 g) drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil ½
¼ cup (40 g) drained and chopped roasted red peppers
½ cup (80 g) thinly sliced red onion
½ cup (12 g) chopped fresh basil

Dressing:

¾ cup (168 g) mayonnaise
¼ cup (22 g) grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsps (45 ml / 40 g) oil from the sun-dried tomato jar
2 tbsps (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp (15 ml) red wine vinegar
1 tsp (5 g) Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic grated
½ tsp (3 g) kosher salt
1 tsp (1 g) Italian seasoning
¼ tsp (0.5 g) finely ground black pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the rotini and cook until just al dente according to the package directions. Drain well, then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and cool the pasta completely. Let the pasta sit in the colander for several minutes so excess water can drain off before mixing the salad. Excess moisture will thin the dressing.
1 lb (454 g) rotini pasta
While the pasta cools, chop the rotisserie chicken into bite-sized pieces. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers, thinly slice the red onion, and roughly chop the basil.
2 cups (280 g) chopped rotisserie chicken, ½ cup (85 g) drained and chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, ¼ cup (40 g) drained and chopped roasted red peppers, ½ cup (80 g) thinly sliced red onion, ½ cup (12 g) chopped fresh basil
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, grated Parmesan, oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, grated garlic, kosher salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper until smooth and fully combined. Using the oil from the jar gives the dressing a more concentrated tomato flavor throughout the salad instead of only in the tomato pieces themselves.
¾ cup (168 g) mayonnaise, ¼ cup (22 g) grated Parmesan cheese, 3 tbsps (45 ml / 40 g) oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, 2 tbsps (30 ml) fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp (15 ml) red wine vinegar, 1 tsp (5 g) Dijon mustard, 1 clove garlic, ½ tsp (3 g) kosher salt, 1 tsp (1 g) Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp (0.5 g) finely ground black pepper
Add the cooled pasta, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, red onion, and basil to a large mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over the top and fold everything together until the pasta is evenly coated and the ingredients are well distributed.
Cover and refrigerate the pasta salad for at least 30 minutes before serving. Chilling gives the pasta time to absorb some of the dressing and helps the flavors come together.
Stir the pasta salad again before serving. If the pasta has absorbed too much dressing after chilling, add a small spoonful of water or a squeeze of lemon juice to loosen the texture and refresh the dressing.

Notes

Drain the roasted red peppers very well before chopping so excess moisture does not water down the dressing.
The oil from the sun-dried tomato jar adds more flavor than plain olive oil and ties the dressing to the rest of the salad.
Rotisserie chicken keeps the recipe quick while adding savory flavor without extra cooking.
Short pasta shapes with ridges like rotini, fusilli, or penne hold the dressing especially well.
This pasta salad tastes best within the first 2 days while the basil and dressing are at their freshest.

If you’re making this Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Salad, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card.

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Have you made this Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Salad? I’d love to hear how it turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta Salad appeared first on Noble Pig.

German Potato Salad with Bacon and Two Mustards

Cathy Pollak — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:46:05 +0000

German potato salad with crispy bacon and a dressing made with both whole grain and Dijon. Whole grain adds texture, Dijon smooths it out, and together they give the dressing more body.

Warm German Potato Salad with Bacon and Mustard Dressing

German potato salad with bacon and a mustard dressing is the one I enjoy making now. I like that it’s warm, has a vinegar base, with bacon worked through it, and uses both whole grain and Dijon so the dressing has more to it than the really thin ones.

When I was a kid, I didn’t like potato salad at home, the cold, American version. It was the hard-boiled eggs and celery that turned me off. I thought it was the eggs that ruined it. I hated biting into something that wasn’t a potato. I felt the same way about a Jell-O salad where someone would put mayo or sour cream over the top. But you thought it was whipped cream until you bit into it. Yuck. Same crime, different dish.

During a summer trip, I remember being in Austria with a plate of Wiener schnitzel served with potato salad that didn’t look anything like the American version. I remember pushing my fork around in it and asking, “Where are the eggs?”

My dad looked back at me. “What eggs?”

“The eggs. In the potato salad.”

“There aren’t any.”

So, I tried it, and it was warm, a little tangy, no eggs, no celery, and I ate it and liked it.

On that same trip, we ended up in Germany, and out came bratwurst with potato salad that looked completely different on the side. I took a bite and that one was warm, had lots of bacon in it and more flavor, and I thought, this is the best potato salad I’ve ever had. The. Best.

That’s when I said it.

“You’re making potato salad wrong.”

My mom looked at me. “Excuse me?”

“It’s not supposed to have eggs or celery. It’s supposed to be like this. Better.”

That did not go well at all, especially because I didn’t back off. Good manners were everything in that world then and clearly, I was being rude. Yes, I was a kid, said something completely out of line, but I still stand by it because the potato salad was better.

So, over the years I’ve fiddled with it and this is how I make German potato salad now, with bacon, onions, and a mustard dressing made with both whole grain and Dijon so it coats the potatoes and has more to it than just vinegar and bacon sitting on the surface.

What Makes This Different

Most German potato salads keep the dressing minimal, usually vinegar, bacon, and sometimes a little mustard. I took mine a little further because I wanted the bacon and mustard to drive.
I use both whole grain and Dijon, and they’re not doing the same thing. The whole grain adds texture throughout, and the Dijon smooths it out so it doesn’t feel like straight vinegar and bacon on the potatoes.
The bacon and onions are cooked together first, then added while everything is still warm so they blend into the salad instead of feeling separate.
I add the dressing while the potatoes are still warm, which makes a difference. They take it in without getting saturated.
It still tastes like a German style potato salad, but the dressing has more going on than what you usually get.

Ingredients

Red potatoes – Stay together after boiling and continue to stay intact when everything gets tossed together.
Bacon – Adds salt and richness, and you’re using the fat from it, so it finds its way through the entire dish.
Bacon grease – Used to cook the onions and take that flavor into the dressing.
Yellow onion – Cooked in the bacon fat until softened so it blends in instead of standing out raw.
Apple cider vinegar – The main acid in the dressing, not as harsh as white vinegar.
Granulated sugar – Balances the vinegar without making it sweet.
Whole grain mustard – Adds texture throughout the dressing.
Dijon mustard – Smooths the dressing out so it holds the dressing together.
Kosher salt + coarse black pepper – Season both the potatoes and the dressing.
Parsley – Added at the end to cut through the richness.
Chives (optional) – Adds a little extra onion flavor at the finish.

How to Make German Potato Salad with Bacon and Two Mustards

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

Step One (cook the potatoes)
Start with your potatoes. Add them to a big pot, cover with cold water by an inch or two, and salt it well. Like, don’t be shy with the salt. Bring it up to a boil and let it go for about 9 to 12 minutes. You want them tender, but still holding together. Drain them, get them into a bowl, and let them sit for a bit. You don’t want them cold, but not steaming either. That’s when they take the dressing the best.
Step Two (cook the bacon and onions)
While that’s going, cook your bacon until it’s crisp. Set it aside, and leave a couple tablespoons of bacon grease in the pan. Add your minced onion and cook it for a few minutes until it softens. You don’t need to brown it, just take that raw edge off so it blends in.
Step Three (make the dressing)
In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, granulated sugar, both mustards, salt, and pepper. The two mustards do different things. The whole grain gives you texture, and the Dijon smooths everything out so it feels like one dressing instead of separate parts.
Step Four (bring it together)
Add the bacon, onions, and parsley to the warm potatoes. Pour the dressing over and toss it gently. Enough to coat everything without breaking the potatoes apart.
Step Five (serve it your way)
You can serve it warm right here, or cover it and chill it for a few hours if you want it cold.

Recipe Tips

Make sure not to overcook the potatoes. If they start falling apart in the water, they’ll fall apart in the bowl.
Salt the water really well. It’s the only time you season the potatoes from the inside, not just on the outside.
Let them sit briefly after draining. If they’re too hot, they’ll break when you toss them. If they’re too cold, the dressing won’t do much.
Cook the onions in the bacon grease until they’re soft. That’s all you’re after. You don’t need color, just get rid of that raw edge.
Toss everything gently once the dressing goes in. You want coated potatoes, not mashed potatoes.

Storage

Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can have it cold straight from the fridge, or let it sit out for a bit to take the chill off. If you want it warm again, heat it gently so the potatoes don’t break apart. If I had to choose, I’d eat this warm.
This isn’t something I freeze. Ever.

FAQs

Can I make this ahead of time?
Even though I do prefer it warm, you can make it ahead of time. It comes down to preference, and you won’t know how you like it until you try it warm, room temp, and cold. It’s different for everyone.
Do I have to use both mustards?
You don’t have to, but I’ve found that’s the key difference in my recipe. They do different things, and using both gives a better result than picking one.
Can I use a different type of potato?
You can, but stick with something waxy like Yukon Gold. They’ll hold together better than russets.
Why add the dressing while the potatoes are still warm?
They take it in better that way. If they’re cold, it sits on the outside and doesn’t do much.
Can I reduce the sugar?
Yes. It’s there to balance the vinegar, not make it sweet, so adjust it to your taste.

From My Kitchen Notes

A few observations.

In case you’re wondering, I like the American version of potato salad now, and I especially love hard-boiled eggs and have no problem with celery. But the sour cream and mayo thing on top of Jell-O is still absolute jail time.
I don’t need every variety of something to do the same job.
There’s a difference between something being good and something belonging here.
Warm potato salad doesn’t need to be rescued.
Two mustards aren’t extra. Not everything that looks like more is unnecessary.
I knew what I liked early. My delivery improved. My opinion didn’t.
Some things absorb what you give them. Others sit there no matter what you do.
There’s always that first bite where you know if you’re going to stay with it or not.
Texture changes everything whether people notice it or not.
Some things don’t need to be explained. You know it before you can explain it.
I can tell what’s staying together and what’s not.
There’s a moment where you realize you’re not going to adjust your taste to make something easier for everyone else, and it doesn’t come with a speech.
I don’t confuse liking something with choosing it.
I’ve watched myself keep the same preference while everything around it changed, which is a strange kind of consistency.
Some decisions don’t look like decisions from the outside. They just repeat.
I don’t soften a strong preference to make it more acceptable. I find a better use for it.

More Cookout Sides

Tennessee-Style Mustard Coleslaw – classic slaw with mustard kick.
Old-Fashioned Cauliflower Salad – simple with a different dressing.
Bacon Broccoli Salad – crunchy, creamy, with bacon.
Deviled Egg Pasta Salad – creamy, tangy, filling side.
Spicy Horseradish Macaroni Salad – horseradish, herbs, pickled vegetables.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

German Potato Salad with Bacon and Two Mustards

German potato salad made with crispy bacon, tender red potatoes, and a vinegar-based dressing built with both whole grain and Dijon mustard for added texture and a smoother base.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine German

Keyword bacon potato salad, German potato salad, mustard potato salad, no mayo potato salad, vinegar potato salad, warm potato salad

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 15

Total Time 40

Servings 8

Calories 320kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

large pot For boiling the potatoes.
skillet To cook bacon and soften onions in the rendered fat.
mixing bowls (large and small). For tossing and the dressing.
whisk To fully combine the dressing.

Ingredients

2 lbs (900 g) red potatoes cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
cold water enough to cover potatoes by 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm)
1½ tbsps kosher salt (for boiling water)
½ lb (225 g) bacon cooked and crumbled
2 tbsps (30 ml) bacon grease
1 cup (150 g) yellow onion minced
⅓ cup (80 ml) apple cider vinegar
3 tbsps (38 g) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 g) whole grain mustard
1 tbsp (15 g) Dijon mustard
2 tsps (6 g) kosher salt
¾ tsp (2 g) coarse ground black pepper
½ tbsp (2 g) finely chopped fresh parsley
fresh chives optional for garnish

Instructions

Add the cubed red potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water by 1–2 inches (2.5-5 cm). Season the water generously with kosher salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce slightly to maintain a even boil. Cook for 9–12 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced but still hold together. Drain well and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Let the potatoes cool for about 15–20 minutes so they are no longer steaming hot but still warm enough to take on the dressing.
2 lbs (900 g) red potatoes, cold water, 1½ tbsps kosher salt
While the potatoes cook and cool, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the bacon grease in the pan. Add the minced yellow onion to the warm bacon grease and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Remove from heat.
½ lb (225 g) bacon, 2 tbsps (30 ml) bacon grease, 1 cup (150 g) yellow onion
In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, sugar, whole grain mustard, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, and coarse black pepper until smooth and fully combined. Using both mustards provides texture from the whole grain and a smoother base from the Dijon, allowing the dressing to come together more completely than a vinegar-only mixture.
⅓ cup (80 ml) apple cider vinegar, 3 tbsps (38 g) granulated sugar, 1 tbsp (15 g) whole grain mustard, 1 tbsp (15 g) Dijon mustard, 2 tsps (6 g) kosher salt, ¾ tsp (2 g) coarse ground black pepper
Add the cooked bacon, softened onions, and chopped parsley to the bowl of warm potatoes. Pour the dressing over the top and gently toss until the potatoes are evenly coated, taking care not to break them apart. Top with fresh chives if you like.
½ tbsp (2 g) finely chopped fresh parsley, fresh chives
Serve warm, or cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving cold.

Notes

Potatoes should be tender but still intact before tossing. Overcooking will cause them to break apart.
Dressing the potatoes while still warm helps them absorb the flavor more evenly.
Whole grain and Dijon mustard serve different roles in the dressing and are recommended together for best results.
Adjust sugar slightly to taste if you prefer a more or less balanced vinegar profile.
If using table salt instead of kosher salt, reduce the amount by half.

If you’re making this German Potato Salad, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card.

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

Nutrition

Have you made this German Potato Salad? I’d love to hear how it turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

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