- Measurements grams + cups
- Cuisine American
Why You'll Like This Recipe
- The topping is stirred together with melted butter in one bowl, so there is no cutting in cold butter.
- Cherries are tart enough to stand up to a sweet crumble, which is why this tastes less one-note than most fruit crisps.
- Frozen pitted cherries mean no pitting, and they work as well as fresh.
Recipe
Cherry Crisp
Tart-sweet cherries under a buttery oat crumble.
Ingredients
Ingredients scaled. The method below still refers to the original quantities.
For the filling
For the oat topping
Instructions
- Step 1. Heat the oven to 190 C / 375 F and grease a 23 cm / 9 inch baking dish.
- Step 2. Mix the cherries with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and lemon juice, then spread them in the dish.
- Step 3. In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Step 4. Pour in the melted butter and stir until the mixture forms clumps rather than sand.
- Step 5. Scatter the topping evenly over the cherries, all the way to the edges.
- Step 6. Bake for 38 to 45 minutes, until the topping is deep golden and the filling bubbles up around the sides.
- Step 7. Rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Stir the topping until it clumps. If it still looks like loose sand, keep stirring — the clumps are what make a crisp crisp.
- Use frozen cherries straight from the freezer. Thawed fruit floods the dish and the topping sinks into it.
- The rest matters. The filling is thin and volcanic straight from the oven and sets to a proper consistency as it cools.
- If the topping is dark before the filling bubbles, cover loosely with foil and keep baking. Colour on top is not the same as a cooked filling.
Cherry Crisp — Simple Table Recipes · https://simpletablerecipes.com/recipes/cherry-crisp/
Ingredient Notes
- Pitted cherries
- Frozen pitted cherries save a slow job and bake just as well. Sour cherries give the best result if you can find them, though they need the full amount of sugar.
- Cornstarch
- Three tablespoons sounds like a lot. Cherries are very juicy and the filling needs it to set into something spoonable rather than a soup.
- Rolled oats
- Old-fashioned rolled oats hold their shape and give the topping its texture. Instant oats turn to powder and the crumble bakes into a paste.
- Melted butter
- Melted butter binds the dry ingredients into clumps. Pour it in all at once and stir — that is what creates the clusters rather than an even sandy mix.
Equipment
- 23 cm / 9 inch baking dish
- Two mixing bowls
- Spatula
Substitutions
- Cherries
- Plums, blackberries or a cherry and berry mix work at the same weight. Sweeter fruit needs about 20 g less sugar.
- Rolled oats
- Leave them out and increase the flour to 150 g for a more shortbread-like crumble. Chopped almonds or pecans can replace up to half the oats.
- Butter
- A solid plant-based block melts and works the same way. Soft tub spreads have too much water and the topping will not clump.
Storage & Freezing
Storing: Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat uncovered in a 175 C / 350 F oven for about 15 minutes to bring the topping back.
Freezing: Freeze baked and cooled crisp for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat uncovered so the topping dries out again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use canned cherry pie filling?
You can, but it is already sweetened and thickened, so skip the sugar and cornstarch entirely. Use about 600 g and expect a sweeter, softer result.
Why is my crisp topping soggy?
Either the fruit was thawed and released liquid before baking, or it was covered while still warm, which traps steam. Cool it uncovered before storing.
What is the difference between a crisp and a crumble?
In North American usage a crisp contains oats and a crumble does not. In practice the terms get used interchangeably, and the method is the same either way.
Do I need to thaw frozen cherries?
No. Add them frozen. Thawing releases the juice before the cornstarch can act on it, which gives a watery filling and a sunken topping.
Can I make it ahead?
The topping can be mixed and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Assemble and bake when you want it — the fruit layer does not hold well once sugared.
Why did my filling stay runny?
The cornstarch never came to a proper bubble. The filling has to actively bubble at the edges to activate it, so keep baking even if the topping already looks done, using foil to protect it.
Did you make this?
Let other people know how it went. One tap, nothing to fill in.
Thanks — that helps.
