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    Home » Recipe Roundups

    20+ Best Berry Desserts

    April 6, 2023 by Amee Leave a Comment

    Seasonal berries are fleeting, so we need to celebrate while they're here! Here are my 20+ Best Berry Desserts for you to make the best of all that berry season has to offer!

    Collage of berry desserts.

    You can never have enough recipes that use berries! Here are my 20+ Best Berry Desserts so that your berry season is full of sweet treats!

    If you enjoy this post, check out my posts with 20+ Spring Desserts, and 30+ Summer Desserts, and 15+ Decadent Dark Chocolate Recipes!

    Jump to:
    • Why are In-Season Berries the Best?
    • When are Berries In-Season?
    • How to Choose Berries
    • How to Keep Berries Fresh
    • How to Freeze Berries
    • Berry Dessert Recipes
    • Other Posts You May Like
    • 💬 Comments

    Why are In-Season Berries the Best?

    The first rule in the kitchen is to always choose the best ingredients that you can find! Sure, there are strawberries at the grocery store in January, but they don't smell or taste like strawberries. The outside may be a gorgeous red, but the inside is white and flavorless. The worst!

    After being picked, blueberries can still ripen further. However, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries will not! After being picked, they only ripen on the outside, not on the inside! This means that when they're picked thousands of miles away and shipped to your local grocery store, they were picked before ripening and never had a chance to develop the lovely flavor that you're hoping for!

    In-season, local berries, like the ones you can pick yourself from a local farm or buy at your local farmer's market, will be the best you'll ever taste!

    When are Berries In-Season?

    Of course, when berries are in season depends widely on where you live! Here is when you can expect berries locally here in the U.S.:

    • Strawberries start to ripen in late February/early March in places like Florida and California. Strawberries don't ripen up in the northern states until early to mid-June.
    • Blueberries start to ripen in the south in late March/early April, and the season ends in the northern states in September.
    • Raspberries have their peak season from June through August, but many varieties will continue to have fruit until first frost.
    • Blackberries are in season from May through September depending on where you live.
    Closeup of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.

    How to Choose Berries

    Here are a few tips for choosing the best berries:

    • Choose clean, dry berries that are plump and firm.
    • The berries should have a vibrant color. Strawberries should have green, fresh-looking tops. Good berries will also have a bit of a shine to them.
    • You want to avoid any wrinkled, dented, or bruised berries, and definitely pass on berries that have any mold! 
    • Give them a smell! Good berries will smell sweet and delicious. Less smell means less flavor!
    • Buy local whenever possible! If your berries were shipped from far away, they were picked before they were ripe, and will not be nearly as flavorful as local berries.
    • If pesticides are of concern to you, then buy organic--especially when it comes to strawberries! Strawberries are #1 on the Dirty Dozen List, which means that they contain the highest levels of pesticides of any fruit or veggie, even after being washed.
    Collage of Spring desserts.

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    How to Keep Berries Fresh

    Berries can be an expensive commodity! Spending your hard-earned dollars on beautiful berries only to find them mold-covered when you want to eat them is the woooorst. 
    I was raised knowing that in order to keep berries fresh, they need to stay dry, so we never washed berries until we were ready to eat them. BUT now I know that if you wash berries in a diluted vinegar solution, you can extend their freshness:

    • Dunk. Place the berries in a diluted vinegar bath of 1 cup vinegar to 3 cups of water. This will kill any bacteria and/or mold on your berries!
    • Drain. Then rinse the berries so that they don't taste of vinegar.
    • Dry. The berries still need to be completely dry! If you have a salad spinner, you can line it with paper towels and send your berries for a spin. Otherwise, use paper towels and pat/air dry your berries.
    • Store. Your berries are better off being stored in a larger container than the one you bought them in so that they get more air. Place them in a container with paper towels in the bottom and in-between layers of berries. Then leave the lid partially off so the berries will stay dry.
    • Enjoy! Now your berries will be fresh and waiting for you for longer!
    Closeup of a white bowl filled with strawberries.

    How to Freeze Berries

    If you want to store your berries longer-term: freeze them! To freeze your berries:

    • Rinse and completely dry your berries.
    • Remove the stem/leaves from the tops of the berries.
    • Place the berries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (strawberries should be placed cut-side down) and place uncovered in the freezer until frozen solid, about 24 hours.
    • Remove the berries from the baking sheet, transfer to a freezer-safe container, and return to the freezer. Your berries will keep in the freezer for several months.

    Berry Dessert Recipes

    So now you know all you need to know about choosing and storing your berries--let's get to eating them! Here are my 20+ Best Berry Desserts to keep celebrating these delicious fruits all season long!

    Cakes and Cupcakes

    Slice of Blueberry Angel Food Cake with whipped cream and blueberries on a plate with a fork alongside.
    Blueberry Angel Food Cake
    Strawberry Filled Cupcakes
    These Strawberry Filled Cupcakes are soft & fluffy vanilla bean cakes with homemade honey-strawberry filling, topped with strawberry cream cheese frosting!
    Check out this recipe!
    Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with fresh strawberries on top.
    Blueberry Angel Food Cake
    This Blueberry Angel Food Cake is light and fluffy with serious blueberry flavor thanks to freeze-dried berries! And can we talk about that color??
    Check out this recipe!
    Slice of Blueberry Angel Food Cake with whipped cream and blueberries on a plate with a fork alongside.
    Raspberry White Chocolate Loaf Cake
    This Raspberry White Chocolate Loaf Cake is a tender white chocolate pound cake topped with a scrumptious raspberry glaze! The flavors are so amazing you'll find yourself taking seconds!
    Check out this recipe!
    Closeup of Raspberry and White Chocolate Loaf Cake on a tray.
    Cornmeal Pound Cake with Blueberry Whipped Cream
    This Blueberry Cornmeal Pound Cake is a slightly sweet cornmeal buttermilk pound cake topped with blueberry crème fraîche whipped cream!
    Check out this recipe!
    Closeup of sliced Cornmeal Poun
    Lavender Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze
    This Strawberry Lavender Pound Cake is so tender thanks to kefir (or buttermilk!), delicately flavored with lavender, and topped with strawberry-vanilla bean glaze! Pound cake perfection!
    Check out this recipe!
    Sliced Lavender Pound Cake with Strawberry Glaze on a white plate.
    Strawberry Angel Food Cake
    This Strawberry Angel Food Cake is light and fluffy with serious strawberry flavor thanks to freeze-dried berries! Also delicious using blueberries, with the bonus of a showstopping purple color!
    Check out this recipe!
    Slice of Strawberry Angel Food Cake on a plate with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
    Neapolitan Cake
    The classic flavors of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate combine in this Neapolitan Cake! This three-layer beauty is a celebration cake!
    Check out this recipe!
    Neapolitan Cake with graham bunnies on a white cake stand.

    Cookies and Bars

    Top view of sliced Strawberry Thyme Blondies with cut strawberries and sprigs of thyme on top.
    Strawberry Thyme Blondies
    Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
    These Strawberry Shortbread Cookies have fantastic strawberry flavor thanks to freeze-dried strawberries in both the cookies and the strawberry glaze! With these cookies you can have a taste of summer year-round! Recipe can be used to make slice-and-bake shortbread or cut-outs--it's up to you!
    Check out this recipe!
    Strawberry Shortbread Cookies with Strawberry Glaze on a cooling rack, one with a bite missing.
    Strawberry Jam Cookies
    These Strawberry Jam Cookies are melt-in-your-mouth vanilla bean thumbprint cookies filled with strawberry jam, then drizzled with vanilla bean glaze! So versatile and delicious, you'll find yourself making them for every occasion!
    Check out this recipe!
    Strawberry Jam Cookies on parchment paper with a jar of jam and vanilla beans nearby.
    Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
    These Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies are cream cheese sugar cookies sandwiched with swirls of strawberry cream cheese frosting!
    Check out this recipe!
    Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookies on white plate.
    Strawberry Thyme Blondies
    These Strawberry Thyme Blondies are a dream combination oftextures and flavors! The browned-butter blondies are topped with astrawberry-thyme mascarpone mousse that is *almost* too pretty to eat!
    Check out this recipe!
    Top view of sliced Strawberry Thyme Blondies with cut strawberries and sprigs of thyme on top.

    Pies and Tarts

    close up of Raspberry Pistachio Tartlet
    Raspberry Tartlets with Pistachio Crust
    Raspberry Tartlets with Pistachio Crust
    These Raspberry Pistachio Tartlets have a pistachio tart crust filled with homemade honey-raspberry jam, topped with toasted honey meringue!
    Check out this recipe!
    close up of Raspberry Pistachio Tartlet
    Blackberry Lavender Brownie Pie
    The crust of this beauty is a fudgy brownie swirled with blackberry jam. The filling is a lavender-infused dark chocolate icebox pie, all topped with blackberry meringue. The flavors and textures are outstanding!
    Check out this recipe!
    Blueberry Curd Tart
    This Blueberry Curd Tart is a sweet pastry crust filled with homemade blueberry curd! You'll fall in love with both the flavor and that gorgeous color!!
    Check out this recipe!
    Slice of Blueberry Curd Tart on a white plate.
    Blackberry Cream Pie
    A classic graham cracker crust filled with light-as-air blackberry cream, topped with fresh vanilla bean whipped cream and blackberries!
    Check out this recipe!
    Slice of Blackberry Cream Pie on a white plate with fresh blackberries on top.

    More Berry Desserts

    Blackberry Lemon Bread on a white tray.
    Blackberry Lemon Bread
    Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake
    This No Bake Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake is layers of strawberry and vanilla bean cheesecake in a graham cracker crust, topped with strawberry crunch topping! Completely no bake and delicious, you'll want this beauty on repeat in your kitchen!
    Check out this recipe!
    Slice of Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake on white plate.
    Blackberry Buttermilk Muffins
    These Blackberry Buttermilk Muffins are soft, moist bakery style buttermilk muffins that are bursting with fresh blackberries! The lovely flavors and textures of these muffins make them a fantastic way to start your day!
    Check out this recipe!
    Tin of Blackberry Buttermilk Muffins with blackberries and chamomile flowers nearby.
    Blackberry Lemon Bread
    This Blackberry Lemon Bread is a moist, flavorful lemon bread studded with fresh blackberries and topped with the most gorgeous blackberry glaze!
    Check out this recipe!
    Blackberry Lemon Bread on a white tray.
    Strawberry Shortcake Cream Puffs
    Luscious cream puffs filled with homemade whipped cream and fresh strawberries, dusted with powdered sugar!
    Check out this recipe!
    strawberry shortcake cream puffs
    Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake
    This Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake is a dream of textures and flavors! The lemon cheesecake is swirled with a homemade raspberry sauce, all in a classic graham cracker crust!
    Check out this recipe!
    Slice of Raspberry Lemonade Cheesecake.

    Other Posts You May Like

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      30+ Summer Desserts
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      15+ Decadent Dark Chocolate Recipes
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      15+ Recipes Using Buttermilk

    Updated 4/6/2023

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