Beth’s BC Cherry Almond Crisp

Did you know? Cherries and almonds are close cousins, as they both belong to the same genus of plants. This makes the nutty almond flavour a perfect complement to the sweet fruitiness of cherries, and we have exploited it here in both the filling and the topping of this after-dinner treat. Enjoy this satisfying dessert after a summer barbeque, or warm your soul by making it from frozen cherries in the winter. And it has fruit and oatmeal in it, so you might even justify eating it for breakfast!

Filling:

5 cups (1.25l) fresh pitted BC cherries (about 2lbs, or just shy of 1kg)

½ cup (250ml) sugar

2 Tbsp (50ml) cornstarch

1 Tbsp (25ml) lemon juice

½ tsp almond extract

¼ tsp salt, optional

Topping:

1 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup flour

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup butter

½ cup almond flakes, toasted

Ice cream or whipped cream for serving. Yogurt is just wrong.

1. Pit the cherries if this hasn’t already been done.
2. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
3. Grease a 9×9 or 1.5 quart (1.5 litre) baking dish.
4. Toast almond flakes to bring out their flavour: place in a dry cast iron pan and heat on the stove over medium heat, stirring frequently. Watch carefully because they will burn easily. (Alternatively, you could try toasting them under the broiler or in an air fryer, but we have not tested these options.) Heat until lightly browned and fragrant.
5. Prepare the filling – mix sugar and cornstarch (and salt, if using) together first so the cornstarch won’t lump, then combine all the filling ingredients together in a bowl. Toss to mix well. Transfer to greased baking dish.
6. Prepare the topping – blend butter and brown sugar then mix in flour and rolled oats. The mixture should be crumbly. Add toasted almonds last and combine. The delicate almond flakes will break up some while being mixed in, but this just distributes their lovely nutty flavour more evenly!
7. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the top has started to brown.
8. Serve warm, topped with ice cream (vanilla is traditional or you can go wild with something else such as butterscotch ripple!) or whipped cream.