Cherry Crisp has a crunchy, buttery oat topping covering a simple tart cherry filling. Top with a scoop of ice cream and this is sure to become one of your favorite cherry desserts!
If you’ve been following Dance Around the Kitchen on Instagram, you know life has been a little hectic for our family lately. We welcomed a baby girl in February, sold our house in May, I left my full-time job in June, we moved back to the farm in July and are currently finalizing house plans… so maybe hectic is an understatement!
But as crazy as it’s been, we couldn’t be more excited for this next chapter and to raise our girls on the farm here in rural Iowa. In the meantime, we’ve been living with one of Zach’s cousins.
His cousins have a beautiful addition on their house that’s been the perfect living space for us, not to mention the cows, kitties, chickens, prairie flowers, the fish pond….and so much more. A few days ago, I was told the cherries on the tree were ripe and I was welcome to snag some, so heck YES I did! And in true Dance Around the Kitchen fashion, you can bet “mmmm cherry desserts…” is the first thing that came to mind!
Crisps always seem to be a hit on the blog. In fact, Pumpkin Crisp has been one of the biggest recipes ever here on Dance Around the Kitchen! The Salted Caramel Apple Crisp Bars and the Rhubarb Crunch have been really well-liked, too.
What kind of cherries should I use for Cherry Crisp?
The cherries we picked are the tart/sour cherries, also known as bing cherries. I love the how the tartness of the cherries work so perfectly with the sweet brown sugar oatmeal crumble on top of this crisp!
How do you make Cherry Crisp from scratch?
First, you’ll want to wash the cherries and remove the pits. Once you’ve got the cherries ready, the rest will go pretty quickly! You’ll combine the cherries, juice/water, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. It’s important to stir this all together before it’s heated up or the starch will form clumps.
You’ll heat the cherry mixture, stirring frequently until it’s thickened. You can add a few drops of red food coloring here if you’d like, but I typically do not. Once the filling is done, pour it into a prepared pan. This recipe will make the perfect amount for an 8×8 pan. If you don’t have an 8×8 pan, you can use a 9×9 or a deep dish pie pan.
Next, the crumble! You’ll mix the dry ingredients together then use a fork to cut in the softened butter. Sprinkle this over the prepared filling and bake for 45-50 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the filling is bubbly around the outside and the topping is becoming golden brown on top.
Can I make a Cherry Crisp with canned pie filling?
You can, however it’ll taste sweeter. It’s certainly much easier this way (no need to worry about picking and pitting cherries) but I personally prefer the tart cherries. It’s all about preference!
If you choose to use the canned pie filling, pour 1-2 cans of filling into a pan and cover with the crumble recipe and bake as directed below.
Can I use frozen cherries?
If you have frozen bing cherries, you can use these. Be sure to let them thaw completely. Then, drain the juice (keeping the juice for the filling) and measure the cherries.
Cherry Crisp Variations
Want to change it up from time to time? Go for it! Here are a few ideas…
- Add 1 tsp cinnamon to the pie filling mixture
- Add slivered almonds or chopped walnuts to the crumble or sprinkle them on top before baking
- Use half cherries and half blueberries in the filling
- After you pour the filling into the pan, sprinkle with 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips; then replace the 1/4 c flour with 2 T flour + 2 T cocoa powder
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Get the (printable) recipe for Cherry Crisp below!
Cherry Crisp
Ingredients
Cherry Filling
- 3 c pitted tart cherries
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/4 c cherry juice or water
- 2 tbsp corn starch
Oat Topping
- 3/4 c quick oats
- 1/4 c flour
- 1/3 c packed brown sugar
- 1/4 c butter softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar, juice and starch. (Make sure to stir until the starch is well dispersed).
- Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until bubbly and thickened.
- Pour the cherry filling into a greased 8×8 baking dish*.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour and brown sugar.
- Using a fork, mix in the softened butter until nice and crumbly.
- Sprinkle the oat topping over the cherries and bake for 45-50 minutes.
- The crisp will be runny right away, but will thicken as it cools. I prefer it best at room temperature with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Notes
