I love cherry desserts. Good fresh fruit isn’t too easy to find in the dead of winter, especially in Montana. But why not use frozen fruit? Yep, I’ve got frozen cranberries left over from the holidays on hand as well as a lovely bag of dark, tart, pitted frozen cherries. Yippee!!
Here’s a quick and semi-guilt-free recipe using frozen cherries and fresh or frozen cranberries that fit the bill nicely this weekend. And there’s a twist – the addition of chopped dried cranberries and dried cherries. The topping isn’t too heavy, although I increased the amount of butter in the crumble. And I decreased the granulated sugar in the filling from 3/4 cup to 1/4 cup.
There’s a bit of unexpected crunch from the addition of chopped blanched almonds in the crumble. And the recipe doesn’t make a whole lot, so it’s ideal for empty nesters, small families, or for an afternoon card game. Make it in the morning and invite a friend over for a bowlful and a cup of coffee.
As you can imagine, this yummy dessert is a wee bit tart. But it’s very well balanced with the crunchy sweetness of the crumble. It’s perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
Easy, easy, and very delicious! Just in time for George Washington’s birthday!
- 3 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed
- 3 cups of frozen, pitted tart dark cherries, thawed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped
- ¼ cup dried cherries, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon tapioca
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup slivered, blanched almonds, chopped
- ¼ cup regular oats
- ¼ all-purpose or whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- 2-4 Tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8" x 8" cooking pan or a small oval baker with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Put thawed cherries, cranberries, dried chopped cherries, dried chopped cranberries in a large mixing bowl.
- Add ¼ cup of granulated sugar, flour, tapioca, salt, and almond extract to the fruit. Stir until combined. Pour into the prepared baking pan. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, add the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and butter cubes. Pulse for 20-30 seconds, until the butter is incorporated, but remains in small chunks.
- Pour the crumble over the fruit, and spread so the fruit is evenly covered.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
Slightly adapted from Cooking Light - reduced granulated sugar from ¾ to ¼ for the filling. Increased butter from 2 tablespoons to 4 tablespoons for topping. Substituted 1 Tablespoon tapioca for 1½ teaspoon cornstarch.
