Cherry Crisp

I tend to avoid baking with cherries. I love them more than just about any fruit but the thought of having to pit enough of them (without a pitter) for a pie? Ehh. Not fun. I have tried just about every method you can imagine and it was to the point where when I absolutely must bake with cherries, I would cut them like I would an avocado and pop the pit out. But I recently started using a straw and was able to pit enough cherries for this crisp within minutes.

I’m so glad that I didn’t have to skip making a cherry crisp this summer because this was so delicious. The topping is sweet, crunchy, and there’s just the right amount to compliment the cherries instead of overpowering them. The cherries are soft but not mushy and sweetened just slightly. Bonus points for being so easy to assemble. You could whip this up in no time!

Cherry Crisp
adapted from Cooking Light

Fruit:

2 1/2 cups cherries, pitted
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
dash of salt
cooking spray

Topping:

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash of salt
3 tablespoons butter, cold & cut into small cubes

Preheat oven to 375F.

To prepare the crisp filling, combine cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, almond extract, and salt. Pour into a pie dish lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

To making topping, stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt. Add butter and use a pastry cutter (or your fingers) to cut in the butter. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over fruit.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until topping is browned and fruit is bubbly. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.