Recently a friend gifted us a bunch of delicious tart* cherries picked from a local tree. We all enjoyed them the first night as an ice cream topping (after tossing the cherries with a bit of almond extract). The next night I made a cherry crisp and it was delicious! Fruit crisps are fun summer treats to make with abundant local fruits, and they are an excellent dish for kids to help with because the measurements aren’t exact, and the 
topping gets “sprinkled” on (LP was my big helper with this one!)
Tart Cherry Crisp
Topping Ingredients:
1/2 cup all purpose flour or whole wheat flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup almond meal (I made this by grinding almonds in the food processor. You could also use oats if almonds doesn’t appeal, but I find that almond flavor is excellent with cherries!)
1/4 tsp ground allspice
3 TB canola oil
Cherry-based Ingredients:
1 lb. of tart cherries, washed and pitted
1-2 TB granulated sugar
1 TB vanilla extract (or almond extract)
Directions:
1) Pre-heat the oven to 375.
2) Pour the cherries into a nine-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle in the sugar and extract and toss. Set aside
3) Mix all the dry topping ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Drizzle in the oil and stir until all the topping is a least a little moist. Small clumps are good!
4) Sprinkle the topping on the cherries. Put it in the oven for 30-40 minutes (the cherries should be bubbling)
5) Enjoy by itself or (even more delicious) with a bit of vanilla (vegan) ice cream!
*Also known as sour cherries, these cherries are a bit tart, but mostly just not as sweet as Bing cherries. Based on their name I thought we wouldn’t be able to eat them plain, but my son and I plowed through a bowl of them with wild abandon! They are also awesome for baking since they keep their shape well.
