Cherry Crisp is one of those obligatory summer desserts and I for one, happily oblige. Making a crisp couldn’t be easier. It’s nothing more than mixing a few things together and sliding it into the oven. This is a perfect dessert for those just learning how to bake and also those of us who happen to love cherries. No pie filling here or cake mix of any sort. This cherry crisp is made from scratch with only a handful of ingredients.
Summer is in full swing and that means stone fruit! Cherries are in season now. There is nothing like the snap of breaking open their glossy, dark ruby skin when you bite into them. Believe me, I should know. I’ve been to the store THREE times to buy cherries because I keep eating them before I get around to making the crisp. A conservative estimate would be about 6 pounds. Thankfully, I pitted the last 3 pounds and put them away to make sure I had enough fruit to bake a crisp.
Fortunately, there is an upside to my gluttony. They are also full of health benefits. Cherries are a good source of fiber and vitamin C. They also contain anthocyanins which act as a natural antioxidant and also an anti-inflamatory. So now that you know how good they are for you, grab a bag of cherries! Cherry crisp is a great summer dessert, especially since it requires little effort and that is what most of us with hectic lives and schedules need.
Don’t let pitting cherries deter you from making this dessert. It is quite literally the most taxing thing you’ll do and it requires no more effort than popping a cherry into the pitter and squeezing. It’s a great mindless activity to do while you are chatting on the phone. If you have kids or grand kids, this is the perfect time to get them involved. With a little instruction and supervision, they can do this for you. However, a word of caution: don’t wear white. If your cherries are super juicy like mine were, there will be a little splatter.
Cherry Crisp:
- 5 cups cherries, pitted and halved
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 6 Tbsp. flour
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch salt
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- First - Toss cherries with flour, sugar and lemon juice. Pour into a 1.5 quart baking dish.
- Next, in a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the topping except butter. Using a pastry blender, fork or your fingers, cut butter into flour/oat mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Finally, pour topping on top of cherries and spread to cover evenly.
- Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, until filling is bubbly and topis golden brown and crispy. Cool 10 - 15 minutes before serving.
- A cherry pitter isn't mandatory, but it's certainly helpful.
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