I love cherries, and always buy a big bag of them (when I see them for a good price), but I’m horrible about actually finishing them! It’s so sad to have to throw them out because I was forgetful and let them go bad. Such a waste of something so delicious, and that’s really just such a shame. Plus, since my boyfriend is allergic to them but also loves them, it’s a little bit mean to have them around. Doesn’t mean I won’t buy them, because come on, I’m going to buy them if I want them, but I do try not to fill the fridge with foods that he can’t eat.
I bought a whole bunch the other day, and decided that I for once wasn’t going to waste so many of them. Memorial Day weekend in Boston was grey and a bit chilly, so what better than a deliciously warm crisp for breakfast? It’s my favorite way to use up large amounts of fruit at once, and I will regularly wait until the fruits are going almost past wanting to eat them raw. Once they’re baked, the texture changes anyway, and they’re often a bit sweeter naturally so I really don’t even need to add extra sugar to the filling.
I will never not want to eat this, pretty much any time of day. It’s not very sweet with added sugar, I can pretend I’m being the tiniest bit healthy because I’m eating lots of fruit, and honestly does anything beat warm fruit with a sweet, lightly spiced crumble topping? It’s amazing with ice cream on top, or with yogurt if you want to feel a little less guilty. Basically, it’s just amazing.
Cherry Orange Crisp
Is there anything better than a warm fruit crisp, fresh out of the oven? Easy to throw together, easy to modify, and always delicious! The cherries can be substituted for almost any other fruit you'd prefer, and the orange can always be substituted for lemon.
Ingredients
- For the filling:
- 4C cherries, already pitted and quartered (that can take time, I think it took me about 30 minutes or so to get through mine with just a paring knife)
- 1T sugar, I use raw cane sugar
- 1t orange zest
- 1 1/2t vanilla bean paste (extract would work too)
- For the crumble topping:
- 1/3C flour
- 1/3C brown sugar
- 1/3C old fashioned oats
- 3T butter, softened
- 1/4t cinnamon
- 1/4t cardamom
- pinch of salt
Directions
- Step 1 Mix the cherries with the sugar, zest, and vanilla, and spread evenly in a heavy baking dish. I use a rectangular Le Creuset baking dish.
- Step 2 In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, and spices.
- Step 3 Add the butter, and mix with your fingers until it becomes a crumb texture. It will be all over your fingers, and you’ll be able to squish it all into a large ball, but try to keep it clumpy and crumby.
- Step 4 Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cherries.
- Step 5 Bake at 400 for 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and crispy, and the cherries are bubbling up at the sides.
- Step 6 *I always put a baking sheet on the rack below the crisp, just in case it does bubble over the sides.
