Cherry Almond Crisp

  • Cherry Almond Crisp

    I couldn’t not sneak a bit of coconut into this cherry almond crisp.

    I think I was channeling one of my all-time favorite holiday bars into this summery dessert… you know the one, the Cherry Chew Bars… you basically meld cherries with coconut and nuts and sugary goo, and you’re a happy camper.  (Wow.  Thinking of the Cherry Chew Bars gives me that “I can’t wait for the holidays” kind of feeling, and not just because The Husband and I are planning a vacation this year [although that does help with the anticipation factor, believe you me], but because the bars are just that good.  And reminiscent of the holidays, when the Cherry Chew bars would make their appearance in my Grandmother’s tin of baked goods.  I remember no other ingredients from the holiday tins, other than the Cherry Chew bars.  Oh, wait- one was a marshmallow thing that I really must try to replicate.  Whoa- I blacked out for a minute there in a haze of sugar-coated holiday memories.   My apologies.  Back to the crisp.)

    So MIL (my super-smart code for “mother in law”) makes this kick ass apple crisp that The Husband loves, but I wasn’t about to cut up apples in August (that’s a fall thing to do… trust me, I’ll be all over the apples in a matter of months, kids).  I had cherries.  I had almonds.  And I had coconut.  The rest was history.  (Oh, and The Husband approved, quite heartily.)

    This dessert is not-altogether-unhealthy, easy (really, really, really easy), and if you make the crisps in little casserole containers, they’re super fast.  Just what you want on a summer day- more time to do other things, and less time to get down to the important business of inhaling dessert.
    Adapted from the food network’s recipe…

    6 cups cherries, washed & pitted

    1/2 cup sugar

    ¼ cup brown sugar

    2 tablespoons dark rum

    2 teaspoons vanilla

    ½ teaspoon almond extract

    ½ teaspoon cinnamon

    ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

    ¼ teaspoon salt

    ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

    2/3 cup rolled oats

    1/3 cup almonds, sliced and lightly toasted

    1/3 cup flaked coconut

    4 tablespoons butter, melted

    2 tablespoons raw/turbinado sugar

    1. Preheat oven to 350°and grease a 9” baking dish (or several smaller dishes if you’d like).
    2. In a large bowl, mix cherries with white sugar, rum, vanilla, almond extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and 2 tablespoons of flour.  Pour into prepared dish.
    3. In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, ¼ cup flour, oats, almonds and coconut.  Stir in melted butter until well combined; sprinkle mixture over cherries.  Sprinkle raw sugar overtop of crisp topping.
    4. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes for a 9″ dish, or 30 minutes for miniature dishes (until cherry filling is bubbling and crisp topping is golden brown).  Allow to cool slightly before serving.

    Tips:

    • Pitting cherries is such a chore.  (Tell me about it- I slaved over a million of them when making Maraschino Cherries last year… but I admit it was worth it in the end.)  If you want to save time, you can thaw frozen cherries, or even use canned cherries (as long as they are the kind packed in water- NOT the “in heavy syrup” ones).
    • Nutmeg is so much better when it’s freshly grated… so get some fresh nutmeg balls and use the flesh-ripping prickly grater bits on your cheese grater.
    • Not into rum?  No worries.  Just leave out, or use rum flavoring.
    • Prefer another kind of nut?  Pecans would rock the crisp.  Or walnuts.  You really can’t go wrong- pick the ones you like.
    • Want to make this recipe healthier?  Fine.  Party pooper.  Use whole wheat flour, and reduce the white sugar by up to half (unless your cherries are really tart- then you’ll just be brave).  You can skip the raw sugar sprinkling overtop.  And skip the ice cream that I highly recommend you serve this dessert with :).
    • Freeze it up!  This recipe freezes nicely.  Warm after thawing and serve with whipped or ice cream, if you’re up for the treat.
    • Want more chewy cherry desserts?  You must see the Maraschino Coconut Bars.  And of course the aforementioned Cherry Chew Bars.  No Christmas is complete without those puppies.

     

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    August 28th, 2013 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags: ,

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