Cherry Crisp Recipe

Cherry crisp, with its blend of sweet and tart flavors, adds a burst of summer goodness to any table. The crunchy oat topping, rich with brown sugar and butter, perfectly complements the juicy cherry filling. There are many recipes to make with fresh cherries, but this recipe for cherry crisp with fresh cherries will play on repeat because of its delicious simplicity.

Of all the types of cherries, tart cherries are often overlooked compared to their sweet, easy-to-eat siblings. But baking with tart cherries brings an unexpected tanginess and creates a much more layered, flavorful dessert. (Ask any Midwesterner: We know many delightful facts about cherries.) Living in Chicago, directly between the gorgeous cherries of Wisconsin and Michigan, my summer farmers markets overflow with the stone fruit, and this recipe is a quick solution to the seasonal bounty.

There are subtle differences between cobblers, crumbles, crisps and buckles. Simply put, a crisp topping uses oats, and a cobbler has a more cake-like or biscuity topping. This crisp has a short, buttery bottom crust, but you can omit it if you want a more traditional crisp of baked fruit and crunchy topping.

Ingredients for Cherry Crisp

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• Sugar: Basic granulated sugar is excellent for the crust and filling, and brown sugar’s sweet molasses flavor is the way to go for the topping of this cherry crisp. (By the way, here’s how to keep brown sugar soft when storing it.)
• Flour: All-purpose flour works best for both the crust and the topping. If you only have other types of flour on hand, like bread or almond flour, that works, too.
• Butter: Butter is the key to this quickie crisp’s richness. You can use salted or unsalted butter, but adjust the added salt in the recipe to balance the flavor.
• Salt: Sweet flavors really shine when they have a little salt to contrast them. A pinch in the crust mixture does just that.
  
• Cherry juice blend: The juice’s sweetness perfectly offsets the cherries’ tartness. There are many cherry juice blends, but I like to use ones with the highest percentage of real cherry juice (and organic if I can find it); if the juice is a little tart, even better.
• Tart red cherries: Bing, black, Morello, Rainier: Many cherries exist. For this cherry crisp, we like sour Montmorency cherries for their tartness. If you can’t find them fresh, look in the frozen aisle. Don’t forget about those pits! Learn how to pit cherries even without a pitter.
• Cornstarch: Essential for thickening, cornstarch creates a luscious, silky texture and a firm cherry filling.
• Rolled oats: This sweet grain provides a little structure to the dessert. We use quick-cooking oats, but old-fashioned oats are fine if that’s what is on hand.

Directions

Step 1: Build the pastry crust

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Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Combine salt, sugar and flour in a bowl, then cut in the butter until the mixture becomes crumbly.

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Press the dough into a greased 2-quart or 11×7-inch baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Using cold butter for the crust creates little pockets of steam when it bakes. Cubing the butter before mixing makes the crust (and topping) more consistent throughout.

Step 2: Make the filling

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While the pastry bakes, combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Stir in the cherry juice. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly.

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Fold in the cherries and pour over the baked crust.

Step 3: Top and bake

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In a small bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar and flour for the topping. Cut in cold butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over the filling. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly around the edges.

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Cherry Crisp Recipe Variations

• Use frozen cherries: Frozen pitted cherries bring super summer flavors into every season! This recipe works great with frozen cherries; you don’t need to defrost them since you heat them up to make the filling. (If you want to freeze this summer’s haul, here’s how to buy and store cherries.)
• Try different fruits and berries: Mix in other fresh berries! Blackberries, blueberries or raspberries are all tasty ideas. There are countless crisp, cobbler and crumble recipes; experiment to find your favorite!
• Add nuts to the topping: For a little extra crunch, some slivered almonds or toasted pecans in the oat topping lend texture and an earthier flavor.
• Spice it up: Ginger, nutmeg or cinnamon are all spectacular spices to add to the topping, expanding the flavors of the whole crisp.

How to Store Cherry Crisp

Cherry crisp can last two days at room temperature or up to five days in the refrigerator. Cover tightly in the baking pan or keep it in an airtight container. Place a paper towel over the dish before covering it with plastic wrap to keep the topping crunchy. We don’t recommend reheating cherry crisp in the microwave because the oats might get too soft, so try putting it back in the oven for 15 minutes at 350° instead.

Can you freeze cherry crisp?

You bet! Freezing cherry crisp is a creative way to make dessert ahead of time. If you leave it in the baking dish and wrap it tightly, the crisp can last up to three months in the freezer. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and reheat it in the oven for the best and tastiest results.

Can you make cherry crisp ahead of time?

To make the crisp a day or two in advance, store the fruit filling and dry oat mixture separately until ready to bake.

Cherry Crisp Recipe Tips

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Can you use canned cherry pie filling for a cherry crisp?

You can use canned cherry pie filling for cherry crisp, but since it’s already sweetened and thickened, omit the extra sugar and cornstarch. Canned cherry pie filling can go directly on the pastry crust without cooking, shaving a lot of time off the preparation!

How do you serve cherry crisp?

To serve cherry crisp, let it cool until warm, then plate it up. To gild the lily, top it with a scoop of ice cream. Classic vanilla ice cream is my favorite, but butter pecan, salted caramel or cinnamon-basil ice cream would also taste delicious. A scoop of cherry crisp in vintage gelato glasses brings extra glamour to a dinner party. Or maybe try baking individual servings of cherry crisp in small ramekins so everyone can have a personal dessert.