This week at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market you’ll find fresh cherries. They’re juicy and delicious to just snack on or baked in a dessert. 
Don’t let the pits discourage you from baking with cherries. It’s worth the small investment in a Cherry Pitter, a small kitchen tool that works easily, perfectly and with no mess. Simply remove the stems, pit the cherries and you’re ready to cook.
The high antioxidant value of cherries (ranked 10th among fruit) is due to the abundance of vitamin C and anthocyanin, a phytonutrient that gives cherries their color. The pectin in cherries helps to lower blood cholesterol while their potassium is good for blood pressure control making them a very heart healthy fruit.
Locally the season for cherries is very short, especially given all the rain we’ve been having. So stop down to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market today to pick up a pint of cherries to make the Cherry Cobbler Cupcakes below.
Cherry Cobbler Cupcakes
1 pint cherries*, pitted
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
Place pitted cherries in single layer in 12 muffin tins (non-stick or use foil baking cups) or a 9X9 baking dish. You may have some cherries leftover – enjoy! Sprinkle cinnamon evenly over cherries.
In a small bowl, mix ½ cup sugar and melted butter together. Sift the flour with the salt and baking powder; add to sugar mixture along with milk. Stir to make a dough.
Evenly divide dough over the top of the cherries. In a small bowl, combine 1 cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in boiling water until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture over the cherry cobbler cupcakes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm fresh out of the oven or at room temperature after they’ve cooled. Makes 12 perfect-portion cupcakes.
Nutrition per serving: 214 calories, 3.3 g fat, 9mg cholesterol, 114mg sodium, 68g carbohydrates, 2g protein.
Ingredients marked with an asterisk (*) are available at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. For information about food and nutrition contact Diane Whitten at Cornell Cooperative Extension at 885-8995 or email dwhitten@cornell.edu.