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Home » Pies, Tarts, Crumbles, & Crisps

Grandma's Sour Cherry Crisp

Dated: October 11, 2019, Last Modified: September 28, 2020

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Forever one of my favorite desserts, this sour cherry crisp is so simple, so delicious, and is a crowd-pleaser. Picky children and dessert-snobs alike will come together over a spoonful of this crisp. Tart from the cherries, with a delicious crumble topping, you need this crisp.


Grandma's sour cherry crisp in a cast-iron pan.

About

This gorgeous sour cherry crisp comes together in less than an hour from start to finish. It's simple to make, yet EVERYONE loves it. Both picky children and dessert snobs all come together over a spoonful of this crisp. It’s got so much good stuff- salty, sweet, tart, crisp, smooth. The tart cherries with the sweet and salty crumble are an incredible pairing- it's no wonder these are a staple at almost all of our family gatherings. Plus it’s one of those desserts that you can probably get away with eating for breakfast (those are my favorite ones- the ones I can eat all day).


Ingredients

Sour (Tart) Cherries

Sour (AKA tart) cherries are the star of this show! They provide the perfect amount of tartness to balance out the sweetness of the crumble.

If you want to make this, plan ahead on grocery shopping a bit! These are sometimes hard to find in the store. Every once in awhile I have to visit a few different grocery stores in order to find these. Sometimes I find them by the canned cherries in the baking aisle, and other times I find them by the canned fruits (like peaches, pineapple, etc). Keep in mind to look for "sour" or "tart" on the can. This isn't your usual pre-made cherry pie filling- these are tart cherries that stay in a juice, which then you'll make into a beautiful filling for the crisp. Yum!

Shortening

Shortening isn't used in many recipes nowadays, but I'm not quite sure why it fell off the dessert train! It's lack of flavor provides a really nice canvas for the sour cherries and oat crumble to shine. The shortening CAN be replaced with butter here, if you feel so inclined, but I'd recommend you try it out with shortening first. You won't regret it!

Almond Extract

Don't skip the almond extract! It adds the most wonderful aroma and slight flavor to the crisp. It's a must!


Notes

Storage: Store covered on the counter for up to 3 days.

Pairs well with:

  • Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Other recipes you may like:

  • Blueberry Ginger Crisp
  • Grandma's Dutch Apple Pie
  • Strawberry Rhubarb Tartlets with Italian Meringue
  • Cranberry Vanilla Custard Pie

Grandma's sour cherry crisp in a cast-iron pan with a piece out of it.

Grandma's sour cherry crisp in a cast iron pan

Grandma's Cherry Crisp

Forever one of my favorite desserts, this sour cherry crisp is so simple, so delicious, and is a crowd-pleaser. Picky children and dessert-snobs alike will come together over a spoonful of this crisp. Tart from the cherries, with a delicious crumble topping, you need this crisp in your life.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Servings 20 bars

Ingredients
  

Crust & Crumble

  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups quick oats
  • 1 cup shortening, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

Cherry Filling

  • 2 cans red tart cherries
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions
 

Prepare.

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Grease a 9x13 pan (or a 12 inch cast-iron skillet).

Make the Crust & Crumble

  • Combine flour, quick oats, melted shortening, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl. Stir until fully combined, which will look like a mixture of big and little crumbs.
  • Add ¾ of the mixture to the bottom of the prepared pan or skillet.

Make the Filling

  • Drain the cherries, pouring ½ cup of the juice into a small bowl, and the rest into a medium saucepan.
  • In the small bowl of cherry juice, add corn starch and mix together until smooth. Add to the remaining cherry juice.
  • Add sugar to cherry juice mixture.
  • Heat on medium, stirring often, until thickened (about 4 minutes- it has a jelly-like consistency when done).
  • Add almond extract and cherries and gently stir to coat the cherries in the juice mixture.

Put It All Together

  • Pour cherries over the prepared crust.
  • Add the remaining ¼ crust on top of the cherries.
  • Bake for 35 minutes.
  • Bon appetit!

Notes

Store covered on the counter for up to 3 days.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Did you make this sour cherry crisp? I want to know! Post it on social media, tag @battersandblessings, and add #battersandblessings so I can see your creation 🙂


You May Need...

12 Inch Cast Iron Skillet

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My name is Jo, and I'm so happy you're here! My husband, pup and I live in Georgia, though I'm a midwesterner at heart. I love Jesus, my family, and desserts, and sharing my recipes has been a dream of mine ever since my grandma taught me how to make chocolate chip cookies when I was just 10 years old. Read more here.

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