Grilled Cherry Pandowdy

Name: Grilled Cherry Pandowdy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 6 oz. cherries (cleaned and pitted); 21 oz. can cherry pie filling; 2 tablespoon orange juice; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 1 pie crust, single; 1/4 cup sugar

August 1, 2019 By Jere Cassidy 59 Comments

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Turning my oven on when it is 100 degrees outside just doesn’t seem like the right thing to do. My air conditioner would never shut off! So why not use the grill? That’s right, folks! The grill is for more than hamburgers, hot dogs, and steaks. It works for desserts too. This summer, I’m going to grill desserts. Does that sound crazy? Maybe. But at least I’ll be able to eat baked desserts in my nice, cool air-conditioned house! Fire up your grill and bake along with me. This week, we’re starting with a Grilled Cherry Pandowdy.

First Published: July 17, 2017… Last Updated: August 1, 2019

Let’s Grill A Dessert

When cherries are in season, I find myself walking out of the grocery store carrying a bag of them without quite remembering how they got into my cart. They look so perfect and sweet that I can’t help it. Now that I have a large bowl of these beautiful red cherries sitting in my kitchen, I need something to make.

What is a pandowdy?

Pandowdies are like a pie, but they are not a pie. Here the fruit goes directly into the pan and then you cover it with a pie crust. These can be made with a variety of fruits, but originally had apples. As the pandowdy bakes, the crust is cut into squares and the squares are pushed down into the fruit filling which will bubble up, this is said to make the top look “dowdy” or a little messy. But we all know that messy desserts tend to taste the best, and this pandowdy is no exception.

Some people spell it with two words – pan dowdy. We’ve heard it both ways! Either way, it tastes amazing.

Making a pandowdy is super easy too. You’ll need a single pie crust and fruit. You can even use a store-bought pie crust and canned or frozen fruit. So easy!

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Since this pandowdy is going on the grill, I am using two aluminum cake pans stacked together. Doubling up on the pans adds stability and will help keep the filling from burning.

Here is the ingredient list for making this Grilled Cherry Pandowdy Recipe

Sweet Cherries – Bing or Rainier work great and you can combine the two.
Canned Cherry Pie Filling
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Sugar
Orange Juice
Single Pie Crust

Plus you will need two aluminum cake pans.

For this recipe, I like using both canned cherry pie filling and fresh cherries. The canned filling makes a nice, sweet sauce and is a fast way to get this dessert on the grill. The fresh cherries give the dessert a pop of fresh, summer flavor.

How to make Cherry Pandowdy

Step 1.

The crust is the star of the pandowdy, so I prefer using homemade. I have a great recipe for Flaky Pie Crust that is perfect for this dessert. You will want to make the dough and let it chill in the refrigerator while preparing the filling. And, if you prefer, a store-bought pie crust will work just as well.

Step 2

Now for the cherries. The first thing you need to do is prepare your cherries by pitting them and cutting the cherries in half if they are really big. If you do not own a cherry pitter, this might be the time to get one. For years I thought I didn’t need another gadget in my drawers, but for this recipe, I went all out and spent $10.00 for a pitter. Let’s just say it changed my life (and kept the red stains off my fingers!)

Step 3

In a large bowl, mix the fresh pitted cherries, cherry pie filling, orange juice, and spices until combined.

Step 4

Roll out the pie dough to fit the top of the aluminum pan. Leave an inch extra to roll up for the edge. Place the dough over the cherries and crimp the edge.

Step 5

Heat up the grill. I have a four-burner grill and turned the two left burners on high, and the far-right burner on low. I will set the pandowdy on the low, far-right burner. I don’t use the fourth burner. Make sense? If you have a three burner grill just do the same.

Step 6

Generously top the pandowdy crust with sugar then place on the grill. Don’t skip this step! The sugar melts into the crust and adds some extra flavor and crunchy texture to the crust.

Step 7

After about 20 minutes, when the crust has started browning, cut the crust into squares. Next, take a spoon push down the edges of the squares into the cherries. Be careful of the hot grill. Grill for another 20 minutes or until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbly.

This is what you get…a beautiful, browned, sweet Grilled Cherry Pandowdy.

Carefully remove the pandowdy from the grill. I set mine in a pie plate, waited for a half-hour for it to cool down a bit and served it warm.

The crust turned out beautiful; nicely browned and flaky with the filling peeking through those cut squares.

Want to change up this pandowdy recipe?

Let’s talk about all the possibilities

You don’t need a grill for this recipe. You can bake the pandowdy in a 400-degree oven for 45 minutes.
You can change up the fruit or mix and match. Choose fruits that are in season or match your tastes.
Frozen or canned fruits can be substituted as well.
You don’t have to wait for the summer heat to grill your desserts. Just remember when you have a big turkey in your oven and don’t have room to a bake a dessert, use your grill instead

Make sure to check out these other One Hot Oven recipes for other grilled desserts.

Try these individually wrapped Grilled Pineapple Upside Down Cakes for a fun way to serve this classic dessert.

Have you ever had a grilled peach? This Grilled Honey-Lime Peaches and Pound Cake is a simple way to serve a decadent dessert.

Don’t forget to pin for later when you want a delicious dessert.

Let’s Grill A Pandowdy

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