cloying

But she is bewildered by the sensory clashes and put off by the cloying sweetness.

The results were rarely inedible, but often disconcerting: over-salted, over-spiced, somehow both cloying and sharp, like they couldn’t decide what they wanted to be.

Conversely, you can also ignore the sugar aspect and cook down the cherries simply with just water — or, use a sugar-free substitute so there's still a touch of sweetness, but nothing too cloying.

Brown sugar gives it a molasses depth and I hold back on the white sugar so things never veer into cloying.

The filling has a surprising hint of salt, which cuts through the richness and prevents the donut from feeling cloying.