Easy Cherry Crisp
Easy cherry crisp recipes will help to bring some wonderful flavor to the table this year. Serve it with ice cream for a perfect dessert!
Use in-season fresh cherries or grab a bag of frozen during the offseason (there’s no wrong time for cherry crisp). Just don’t forget the vanilla ice cream!
I love making simple and easy desserts and this homemade cherry crisp recipe is exactly that. With sweet, tart, crispy spiced goodness in every bite, this crisp recipe really helps to hit the spot.
The bright red color from the cherries really makes this dish wonderful from fall through winter, but cherries are usually ripe in early summer making this a wonderful summer dessert as well!
Using old fashioned oats we get a fabulous and chewy topping that tastes great. While you could use quick-cooking or instant, old fashioned is my favorite for creating a good balance in textures.
Cherry Crisp Ingredients:
For the filling, you will need:
- Cherries. You can use 4 cups of frozen or fresh cherries, (this is roughly 2.5-3 pounds).
- Cornstarch. 2 tablespoons of cornstarch will help to get the filling to thicken as it bakes so it holds together well.
- Sugars. We need ¼ cup each of white sugar and brown sugar to get a sweet and caramelized flavor.
- Vanilla. With 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, we can add a little flavor enhancement into the filling.
- Spices. We will use ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg to create a flavorful and well-spiced filling.
For the topping we will need:
- White sugar. We need ½ cup of white sugar to make the topping sweet and crisp while baking.
- Flour. Helping to thicken the topping and create a good texture is ¾ cups of all-purpose flour.
- Oats. With ¾ cup of old-fashioned oats, we can add a chewy texture that helps to offset the softer cherries.
- Spices. We need 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of ground cloves to spice the topping well.
- Butter. Helping to hold everything together and add a richness in taste is 1 stick (½ cup) of cold butter.
How to make cherry crisp
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and grease an 8×8 baking dish or a 12 inch cast iron skillet.
- Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
- Pour the filling into the prepared pan.
- For the topping, stir together all of the topping ingredients except for the butter, in another bowl.
- Cut in the butter until the pieces look about the same size as raisins.
- Sprinkle it evenly over the top of the filling.
- Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the edges are bubbly and the top is a deep golden brown.
- Let cool before serving, this allows the filling to thicken.
- Serve your delicious homemade cherry crisp warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Yes, after your crisp has cooled, cover it well with foil and place it in the fridge for up to 5 days. The crisp will soften as it ages, but a quick reheat in the oven can fix that and give you a warm “fresh from the oven” taste.
Yes, you could freeze it. Simply store it in a covered freezer-friendly 8×8 pan (I recommend the disposable foil ones). And include a recipe card of some sort reminding you of the baking instructions.
Then when you want to eat it (within 2 months) thaw overnight in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours before baking as directed.
Ingredients
For the Topping
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/3 cup oats old fashioned, not quick or steel cut
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 cup butter one stick
For the Filling
- 4 cups cherries fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Preaheat the oven to 400ºF.
For the Topping
- Stir together all of the ingredients except the butter.
- Cut in the butter until the pieces are the size of rasins.
- Set aside.
For the Filling
- Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl, mix well.
- Pour into a greased 8×8 baking dish or a 12 inch cast iron skillet.
- Sprinkle the topping made earlier evenly over the top of the filling in the baking dish or skillet.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the edges are bubbly and the top is deep golden brown.
- Let cool before serving so it has time to thicken.
