Cherry Crisp Recipe
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This easy cherry crisp recipe with a hint of almond is just perfect when you want just a little something sweet. You can make it with either frozen or fresh cherries so you can enjoy it even when it’s not cherry season. The addition of dried tart cherries is a nice counterbalance to the sweet cherries.
Two kinds of almond, in both the filling and crisp topping, gives it more depth of flavor and added crunch. A crisp or crumble is a delicious dessert when you want something without the fuss of a pie crust.
I make this recipe in an 8″ x 8″ square baking dish or 8 or 9″ round pie dish, but you can easily double the recipe and bake it in a 13″ x 9″ baking dish.
Ingredients for cherry crisp
While fresh cherries are the best option, if you want to make this recipe when they are out of season, frozen cherries, which are flash frozen, are an excellent substitute. They also come pitted, which saves a fair bit of time. Recipe adapted from Cooking Light, June 2011. This Cherry Pitter pits 7 cherries at once.
- fresh or frozen bing cherries
- dried tart cherries
- granulated sugar
- flour
- almond extract
- rolled oats
- brown sugar
- sliced almonds
- kosher salt
- butter
How to make cherry crisp
The dried cherries do require a little bit of soaking to plump them up. While they soak, preheat the oven, pit the cherries, and measure out the remaining ingredients. This recipe serves 6 modest (2/3 cup) portions or 4 larger portions.
- Pit the fresh cherries or drain the thawed, frozen cherries. (Reserve the juice if there is any and use it for the soaking liquid for the dried cherries!) Do not use cherry pie filling which has lots of fillers, colors, and high fructose corn syrup.
- Combine the dried cherries with boiling water (or reserved cherry juice from frozen cherries) in a small bowl. Cover and let them sit for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the bottom of a Pie Dish or baking dish.
- Combine dried cherries, including the soaking liquid, the pitted cherries, white sugar, almond extract and flour baking dish. Let stand for 10-15 minutes.
- Pour the cherry filling into buttered baking dish and bake for 30 minutes until thick and bubbly.
- While the cherries are baking, combine flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, salt, and sliced almonds in a small bowl.
- Melt butter in the microwave and add almond extract. Drizzle over oat mixture and mix with a pastry blender or fork.
- Sprinkle topping over cherry mixture and bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
- Serve with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.
Looking for more easy dessert recipes?
Blueberry Crisp (gluten free)
Cherry Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
Cherry filling
- 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
- 1 pound sweet cherries pitted (or 2 pounds frozen cherries, defrosted)
- 2.6 ounces granulated sugar (1/3 cup)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup boiling water (if you've used frozen cherries, you can repurpose the juice from the drained cherries if you'd like)
Crisp topping
- 1.7 ounces all purpose flour (1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon)
- 1.5 ounces old fashioned rolled oats (1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon)
- 1.3 ounces brown sugar packed, (1/4 cup)
- 4 ounces sliced almonds 1/4 cup
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2.5 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Combine dried cherries with boiling water in a small bowl. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine dried cherries, soaking liquid, pitted cherries, sugar, flour, and almond extract in a medium bowl, stir well and let sit for another 15 minutes.
- Butter an 8 or 9 inch baking dish. Add cherries and bake for 30 minutes until thick and bubbly.
- While cherries are cooking, melt butter in microwave. Mix flour, oats, brown sugar, sliced almonds, 1/8 teaspoon almond extract and salt. Pour butter over dry ingredients, mix well.
- Sprinkle topping over cherry mixture and bake an additonal 20-25 minutes until crisp is golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or custard.
- Cover and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
