Name: Greek Cherry Spoon Sweet Preserves (Glyko Koutaliou)
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 2 pounds (900g) cherries, stemmed and pitted; 4 cups (2 pounds ) granulated sugar; 1 cup water; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

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The most delicious Greek dessert of cherries preserved in sweet syrup!

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Greek Glyko Koutaliou translates to ‘cherry spoon sweet.’ It’s Greek-style cherry preserves, and it’s traditional to have it on hand. Every lady of the house has it, and when guests come over, we put the preserves in a small saucer, like the little plates under tea cups. Serving it is a great way to honor your guests, and it’s so easy to make. Cherries are in season right now, so don’t miss the opportunity to make the preserves. It’s my favorite preserves of all time, and they’ll last months in the fridge, or you can can them to last even longer!

Why your guests will start to expect this

Melt in your mouth cherries
Sweet, sticky cherry syrup
Delicious concentrated cherry flavor
A special dessert that’s simple, delicious, and bursting with cherry flavor!

Simple Ingredients

Cherries –stemmed and pitted
Granulated sugar
Water
Lemon juice –freshly squeezed
Pure vanilla extract –your favorite brand

Which type of cherry is best?

In Greece, they use tart cherries for Glyko Koutaliou, but sweet cherries are in season. So, that’s what I used for this recipe. You can also use frozen cherries, but you’ll have more liquid release while cooking. All you have to do is cook the syrup down a little bit longer at the end to get it nice and thick.

How to pit cherries

Start by protecting your nails and clothes with gloves and an apron. The cherry juice will stain your nails, hands, and everything else! Remove the stems and then use a cherry pitter to remove the pits carefully. Try not to damage the cherries and keep them intact as much as possible. Push the pits into a large bowl so you can use them to flavor the water for the preserves, and place the pitted cherries in your saucepan.

How to make Greek Cherry Spoon Sweet Preserves

Wash the cherries and dry them.
Remove the stems and pit the cherries over a large bowl.
Add a cup of water to the cherry pits.
Place the pitted cherries in a pot with the sugar and lemon juice.
Then, strain the water and add it to the cherries.
Mix the cherries carefully and place the pot in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours.
Next, cook the cherries over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
Skim the froth from the top as it cooks for about 25 minutes.
Remove from the heat, add the vanilla extract, and set aside to cool completely.
Transfer the preserves and the syrup to jars and store them in the refrigerator.

For thicker preserves

I typically make my cherry preserves with a thinner sauce. However, if you prefer thicker syrup, carefully remove the cherries from the syrup after the 25-minute cooking time and set them aside. Then, cook the syrup for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat and add the cherries back in. Set aside to cool and transfer to jars.

Serving

As the tradition goes, the best way to honor your guests with these preserves is to serve them on a small saucer or plate with a beautiful fancy spoon, a nice hot cup of Greek coffee, and a glass of cold water. You can also spoon it over ice cream or yogurt. If you have syrup leftover like I do, you can store it in a separate jar in the fridge to stir into iced tea, milkshakes, or any cold drink. Kali Orexi!

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