Irresistible Sour Cherry Crisp

A tantalizingly tart and sweet dessert, featuring juicy sour cherries topped with a golden, buttery, and crunchy oat crisp topping. Perfect served warm with vanilla ice cream.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 410

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

For the Cherry Filling

6 cups Fresh or frozen sour cherries (pitted) If using frozen, do not thaw.
3/4 cup Granulated sugar Adjust based on cherry tartness.
1/4 cup Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Lemon zest
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Almond extract

For the Crisp Topping

1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Rolled oats (old-fashioned)
3/4 cup Packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Cold unsalted butter Cubed

Method

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, gently toss the cherries with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract until the cherries are evenly coated. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer.
Prepare the topping: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Cut in the butter: Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry topping mixture. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
Assemble and bake: Sprinkle the crisp topping evenly over the cherry filling in the baking dish. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the cherry filling is visibly bubbling thickly around the edges.
Cool slightly before serving. Allow the crisp to cool for at least 15-20 minutes before serving warm, preferably with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Notes

If the topping begins to brown too quickly during baking, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil for the remainder of the cooking time. Sour cherries are key here; if using sweet cherries, reduce the added sugar by 1/4 cup.