Fresh Cherry Crisp

Fresh Cherry Crisp is a simple combination of cherries and crumbly oat topping. So easy that it doesn't require any baking skills. Wonderfully moist and light. Perfect single-serve summer dessert to welcome the cherry season! 

Making this fresh cherry crisp is a great idea when you have tons of cherries. As we’ve started to see beautiful sour cherries at the market here, it’s time to make some wonderful recipes with this lovely colored fruit.

Like most of you do, we crave for refreshing treats like Creamy Lemon Ice Cream or Peach Sorbet when it is finally summer, but I can never resist a crisp like this. I mean, look at that color! Doesn't it look so attractive? Plus, it is super easy and you only need a few ingredients that are staple in your pantry. I used sour cherries this time because they were what I had on hand and I loved the subtle tanginess in my crisp, but you can use sweet cherries too as I did when I made it for the first time 4 years ago.

We loved the idea of making crisp when I made this fresh cherry crisp for the first time years ago. It’s like the shortcut version of a cherry pie. With less effort and less calories. I love fruit desserts like this because they are moist and light. What’s more, you can use whatever fruit you have in your kitchen. Make this cherry crisp when you can find cherries, and then change it with other fruit like apples, blueberries or peaches when cherry is no longer in season.

How To Make

The steps in this recipe are so easy to follow that even a person who has no baking experience can make this crisp.

The first thing you need to do is to pit the cherries. I love the cherries whole in my crisp, but if you find it easier, you can just cut them in half and remove their pits. In a medium bowl, combine the cherries with sugar and cornstarch. Put it aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, oatmeal, cinnamon, ground pistachio and sugar. Add in the cubed cold butter and gently pinch them together with the oatmeal mixture until crumbly. Don't overplay with the mixture so that it keeps its crumbly texture. Chill for 15 minutes.

Butter the ramekins or use a cooking spray and put a tablespoon of the dry mixture in the ramekins to make a thin bottom layer. Share the cherries into three ramekins with the juice. Top each with the rest of the oat mixture and sprinkle a little sugar on each. Bake until the top is slightly golden and serve it warm.

I regret not using the nuts on the topping here as I did in the Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix recipe for a perfect crunchy texture. Ground pistachio is a nice addition but lacks that extra crunch. I should have left the pistachios whole.

No Flour Variation

I made the topping for this sour cherry crisp with oatmeal and flour combination because they slightly hold together, yet still crumbly. On the other hand, it can easily turn into a gluten free cherry crisp when you leave the flour out and replace it with oats or a type of gluten-free flour like rice flour or almond flour.

Serving

This is not a cherry crisp for a crowd, so I made this cherry crisp in 3 ramekins. They can be served individually this way and you feel special when you are served. If you don’t have ramekins, a square cake pan works fine as well. For pure perfection, you can serve it with whipped cream or ice cream.

You will be mesmerized when you feel that tempting smell coming from the oven when your cherry crisp is in oven. You will love the bubbling cherry layer right under the crumble topping and don’t worry if it runs over. It looks even more tempting if that happens.

You can have this cherry crisp either as a dessert in the afternoon or for breakfast. I think it makes a wonderful start to a new day!

I love the idea of making crisp so much that I'm planning to try Ambitious Kitchen's amazing Healthy Apple Crisp when summer ends and we start to see fall apples at our local bazaar. It is sweetened with maple syrup and topped with pecans, so I'm definitely intrigued!

Can I Freeze It?

As it is already a very easy recipe and doesn't require any effort, I wouldn't recommend freezing it. Moreover, the topping might get soggy when thawed, which is not desired. Therefore, freezing is not a good idea.

Tips

• If you have a cherry pitter, use it to pit the cherries. Do you know what you can use if you don't? A straw. Yes, you can easily pit them with a simple straw. Read A Pit Tip to learn more.
• You can leave cornstarch out if you like. It gets a bit more runny then, but you might love it too.
• The butter you use must be cold, don't forget this. Otherwise, your topping won't be crumbled.
• Don't use a food processor to mix the flour and other ingredients for the topping. Use your hands to have a better crumble mixture. Don't overplay with this mixture, or you get a cakey dough, something not desired in a crisp recipe.
• It's important to chill the crumble mixture before baking, so don't skip this step.
• To have a crumble texture on top of your crisp, don't press it down when putting the crumble mix on the fruit.

If you love cherries and would love to try more recipes with them, here are my suggestions:

No-Churn Fresh Cherry Ice Cream from Give Recipe

Fresh Cherry Pie from The Baker Mama

Sweet Cherry Rhubarb Pie from Comfortably Domestic

Cherry Lemonade Popsicles from The View From Great Island

Fresh Cherry Crumb Cake from  From Valerie's Kitchen

Oh and if you make this Fresh Cherry Crisp recipe, I’d love to hear your feedback. Please rate the recipe and leave a comment below.

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