Simple Cherry Crisp

This quick and easy fruit dessert is the stuff of dreams! Served warm with a scoop of ice cream. Baked cherry crisp is the ultimate weeknight dessert!

When we lived in Richland, Washington, fresh cherries were always in abundance. Summer 2015, my daughter had a "Tri-Cities Challenge" list of 50 objectives that if she accomplished, she would win a big prize. It was really a ploy to keep her occupied and having fun, and it worked! One of her objectives was to go to a cherry orchard, pick her own basket of cherries and make a delicious dessert. To our surprise, she brought home 15 pounds of cherries! Along with MANY other cherry concoctions, this easy crisp was born.

Cherry crisps are a comfort-food dessert. They're great year-round and can be made with fresh or frozen cherries or with a yummy canned cherry pie filling. You might ask "What's the difference between a cherry crumble and a crisp?" Well, they're often used interchangeably, but the answer is a crumble is a crisp without oats in the streusel.

This sweet and savory oatmeal topping paired with the pie filling is a glorious duo. The ratio of filling to topping is perfect as well. You'll be sure to have a bite of topping with each cherry as long as you can resist picking it from the top after it bakes!

You'll love this easy cherry crisp because it's just a few ingredients, it's quick to assemble, not labor intensive and it's a great dessert you can make ahead of time. See my note below on how you can make it with fresh or canned cherry pie filling. With a scoop of ice cream on top, you'll instantly melt with just one bite!

What You'll Need

• Self-Rising Flour
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Brown Sugar
• Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
• Pecans or Walnuts, optional
• Butter
• Cherry Pie Filling
• Vanilla Ice Cream, optional

Tools You'll Need

• 2-Quart Baking Dish
• Ice Cream Scoop (optional)
• Cherry Pitter (if making homemade pie filling as noted below)

How to Make Simple Cherry Crisp

1. For the streusel, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, oats, and nuts.

2. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
3. In a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish, spread the pie filling in an even layer followed by a layer of the streusel on top

4. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the baked cherry crisp to rest for 10 minutes before serving. If you'd like, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Tips and Substitutions

• This crisp can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Simply cover tightly and store in the fridge until you're ready to bake it.
• You can substitute the canned pie filling with homemade cherry pie filling.
  • Homemade: Stir together 3lb fresh pitted cherries, ½ cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ½-2/3 cup sugar, ¼ cup cornstarch, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low. Stir often and cook for 10 minutes. Cool before using in this dessert.
• If you decide to make homemade pie filling, you can use pretty much any type of cherry. Bing and rainier will lend a sweeter flavor. Montmorency cherries are tarter and will likely require a skosh more sugar.
• For a gluten-free version, substitute the flour with oat flour and add ⅛ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon baking powder. You can also substitute it with a gluten-free baking blend.

Storage

• This dessert (without the ice cream) can be stored at room temperature if eaten within 24 hours. Any longer, store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
• Store in the freezer in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.

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• Fruit Cobbler
• Best Ever Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Cherry Berry On a Cloud
• Oatmeal Cake
• Oatmeal Pie
• Amish Baked Oatmeal