No-Bake Cherry Yum Yum

No-Bake Cherry Yum Yum is the most classic of the Yum Yum desserts. With its two thick creamy layers sandwiching a layer of cherry pie filling, what's not to love? It's such a tasty Southern creamy comfort food dessert ~ and this one's extra thick and creamy for even extra deliciousness!

ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 6 T. unsalted butter, melted

Cream Cheese Mixture:

• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 2 c. whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 T. granulated sugar

Cherry Filling:

• 1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling

instructions:

Prepare the Crust:

1. In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Blend with a fork until crumbs are moistened.
2. Set aside 2 tablespoons of crumbs to sprinkle on the top.
3. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9x9-inch pan that's been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Prepare the Cream Cheese Mixture:

1. With an electric mixer, cream together softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, and almond extract until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl, whip the whipping cream, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
3. By hand, mix together whipped cream and cream cheese mixture until well combined.

Assemble the Yum Yum Layers:

1. Spread a little less than half the cream cheese/whipped cream mixture evenly over the crust.
2. Drop cherry pie filling by large spoonfuls on top of the cream cheese layer. Gently spread cherry pie filling evenly over the cream cheese layer.
3. Top cherry layer with the remaining cream cheese/whipped cream mixture. Gently spread it evenly over the cherry layer, covering it completely.
4. Sprinkle the top with the 2 tablespoons reserved graham cracker crumbs.
5. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.

TRACEY'S NOTES

1. I buy the "premium" cherry pie filling so there are more cherries in the Yum Yum cherry layer.
2. 1/3-less fat cream cheese works just fine in this recipe.
3. You can substitute an 8 ounce container of Cool Whip non-dairy whipped topping for the homemade whipped cream in the cream cheese mixture if you'd like.
4. We like our Yum Yum and its layers thick! And that's just how this recipe turns out - nice, thick creamy layers. We recommend doubling the recipe for a 9x13" pan. You could "stretch" this recipe to a 9x13" pan, but the layers will be very thin (and you would probably need to double the crust portion for it to adequately cover the bottom of the pan).