Jump to Recipe Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

Healthy snack or light dessert? You decide! Either way, these Baked Tart Cherry & Cream Cheese Wontons will disappear in a flash. Thank you to The Cherry Marketing Institute for helping me to share this recipe with you.

My eldest son (M) is about to reach a milestone in his young life, and I’m not handling it very well. Over the past 4 months, he has shot up several inches, passed by his “5 foot and shrinking” (her words) grandma, and he and I are now looking eye-to-eye. Well, almost. I still have about an inch on him, and I’m holding onto that tightly. This is the little boy that, just yesterday (I swear!), I was holding in my arms and who called me “Mummy” in his sweet toddler voice.

I’m learning to embrace this new stage of independence, sweaty socks and the “parents aren’t too bright” attitude. As long as M snuggles in for the occasional hug, I can deal with the teenage eye rolls and even with him growing taller than me.

And he’s not the only one who’s growing. My younger son is sprouting like a sunflower, though he still has a couple of years to go before he catches up to me. At least, I hope he does.

Growing boys mean growing appetites, and I’m shocked everyday at the amount of food they can put away. By the time they come home from school each day, they’re ready to raid the fridge, so I try to have something tasty and healthy on hand for quick refueling. Tart cherries are always in our pantry and the boys often grab a handful of tart cherries and raw almonds, or some Curry Spiced Nuts with Dried Cherries if I have them on hand.

To celebrate the boys being back to school, I wanted to come up with something special for them to dive into at the end of the school day. These baked wontons may look fancy, but they couldn’t be easier to make. Just whip up some softened cream with a little maple syrup and cinnamon, stir in some tart cherries and toasted almonds, fill some wonton wrappers with the mixture and bake them in the oven.

I made 12 of these little guys on the first go-round and my boys had inhaled them within 10 minutes of walking through the door. They were a huge hit! They are healthy enough to serve as snacks, but sweet enough to sub in as dessert after dinner.

Not only are tart cherries great to have on hand as a snack food, but they have a laundry list full of health benefits. For example, tart cherries contain Vitamin A and anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that have been linked to decreases in inflammation, which can help to soothe arthritis symptoms and ease exercise-related muscle pain.

Tart cherries can be found in well-stocked grocery stores, as well as healthy food stores, such as Whole Foods. We always have tart cherries available in at least two forms in our house, and we use them daily on top of cereal and in baked oatmeal.

For more information on tart cherries and recipe inspiration, be sure to visit the Cherry Marketing Institute site, and follow Choose Cherries on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Other healthy snack recipes:

Cookin' Canuck's No-Bake Carrot Cake Granola Bites {Low Sugar & Gluten-Free}
Cookin' Canuck's Greek Avocado & Feta Stuffed Cucumber Cups
Running to the Kitchen's Tart Cherry Fruit Leather
Food Faith Fitness' Protein Muffins with Quinoa, Prunes, Dates & Coconut

Printable Recipe