There are some kitchen tasks I can’t stand. I hate separating eggs. They’re just so eggy and messy and you have to crack and separate them perfectly. I don’t like peeling fruit. Peaches, apples, plums, it doesn’t matter. I’m too afraid to do it with a knife and most peelers tear up the fruit. And frankly I’m not a big fan of dishes. All the scrubbing and scouring. It’s a workout, but not in a good way. Luckily, I have Mom, my kitchen partner, to happily do these things for me. Mom separates eggs like a champ, peels fruit at record breaking speed, and always says she doesn’t mind doing dishes. Yay for Mom!
But there are some kitchen tasks I love. I will cream butter and sugar by hand every chance I get. I love mashing them together, the smells of the butter and sugar filling me. Making candy is a blast. Keeping watch over a pot of bubbling sugar, waiting for the candy thermometer to hit just the right temperature. I become a very patient person in the kitchen.
And then there’s pitting cherries. I could pit them all day long, which is good because I love baking with them. It’s relaxing as I get into the almost musical beat of the job, my mind wandering into a meditative state. It’s also the one task I’m surprisingly neat about. No splatters of red everywhere, just a neat pile of pits and cherries, and red stained fingers – the trophy of a job well done.
To pit Bings and Rainiers, I cut them in half and pull out the pit. Sour cherries are a bit of a different story. They are so tiny and delicate, cutting them in half would destroy them. So I read somewhere (I honestly don’t remember where) to cut an X in the top and squeeze out the pit. I couldn’t squeeze them out, but I found the X made it easy to grab the pit. After my summer trip to buy sour cherries, a warm weather necessity in Michigan, I pitted six pounds of them, with some help from Mom, making crumb bars and this Sour Cherry Crisp.
This week’s Sunday Supper is Breakfast for Dinner. So why did I make crisp? While it would make a great dessert, I ate this semi-healthy, gluten free, vegan crisp for breakfast twice. And I would happily eat it every day. Like I said, it’s a good thing I like to pit cherries!
This is not only one of the best vegan, gluten free recipes I’ve made, it’s one of the best recipes I’ve made period. The sweet, crunchy topping, full of oats and walnuts, matches perfectly with the cherries, enrobed in thick syrup. They taste like the best cherry pie filling ever! Eat this for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or all of the above. Since we’re talking breakfast for dinner, I think this should be extra decadent. I suggest serving it in the pan, hot out of the oven, topped with vanilla ice cream and digging in with a spoon. It will be gone in a flash!
Sour Cherry Crisp #SundaySupper
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Ingredients
Filling
- 6 cups sour cherries, pitted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Topping
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten free if you like)
- ¾ cup oat flour (gluten free if you like, all-purpose would work as well)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup walnuts
- 7 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, stir together cherries, sugar, and cornstarch. Allow to sit while you prepare the topping.
- In a medium bowl, stir together oats, flour, salt, sugars, cinnamon, and walnuts. Drizzle in the oil and stir until all the ingredients are moistened and crumbs form.
- Pour the fruit mixture into an 8 inch square pan. If the mixture is extra juicy, do not add all the juice. Evenly distribute the crumb mixture over the cherries. Place on a baking sheet, in case the fruit bubbles over during baking. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the top is golden brown. This is best served hot out of the oven, but may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Eat cold or heat in the microwave until warmed through.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
Don’t forget to check out the other Sunday Supper Breakfast for Dinner dishes!
- Tres Leches Pancakes from La Cocina de Leslie
- French Toast Casserole with Sautéed Apples from The Foodie Army Wife
- Gluten Free Breakfast Pizza from Blueberries And Blessings
- Basic Vegan Waffles from Killer Bunnies, Inc
- Kale, Bacon, Brown Rice Crustless Quiche from Shockingly Delicious
- Bacon Egg and Potato Breakfast Tacos from Cookin’ Mimi
- Steak and Egg Tostadas from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Breakfast Bowls from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Bacon and Egg Waffles from The Urban Mrs
- Homemade Lox from Growing Up Gabel
- Seattle Sandwiches (Lox, Shmear, & A Fried Egg) from Juanita’s Cocina
- Bacon & Brie Potato Bread Strata with Roasted Pears from Eat, Move, Shine
- Saucy Ham and Cheese Breakfast Sliders from Daily Dish Recipes
- Greek Frittata from Casa de Crews
- Elderberry Flower Pancakes from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Prosciutto, Gorgonzola and Rosemary Strata from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Italian Turkey Meatballs (With a Secret) from What Smells So Good?
- Bacon, Spinach and Tomato Breakfast Pizza from Runner’s Tales
- Red Pepper and Egg Galette from Healthy. Delicious.
- Waffles – One Plate, Two Ways: Sweet & Savory from Foxes Love Lemons
- Steak & Egg Bagel Sandwich from girlichef
- Florentine Benedict from Supper for a Steal
- Oatmeal Ice Cream from Treats & Trinkets
- Banana Waffles with Peanut Butter Syrup from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Baked Berry French Toast from Table For Seven
But wait, there’s more!
- Open Faced BTC Sandwich from Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Crustless Spinach Quiche from The Hand That Rocks The Ladle
- Bacon ‘n Eggs Bread Pudding from gotta get baked
- Denver Breakfast Ring from Curious Cuisiniere
- Copycat Japanese McDonald’s from Ninja Baking
- One Pan Full English Fry-up from Food Lust People Love
- Leek, Mushroom and Gruyère Quiche from Hip Foodie Mom
- Joe’s Special, the Original San Francisco Treat from Webicurean
- Dark Chocolate, Orange & Pistachio Greek Yogurt Cups from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Gluten Free Tomato Basil Crepes form No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
- Sour Cherry Crisp from Pies and Plots
- Cream Dried Beef and Waffles from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Sausage breakfast casserole from My cute bride
- Almond Rice Crepes Stuffed With Sweet Potatoes & Peas from Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
- Zucchini Pancakes with Sautéed Tomatoes and Feta from Ruffles & Truffles
- Apple, Bacon, and Dubliner Cheese Stuffed French Toast from Neighborfood
- Dulce de Leche Stuffed French Toast from Basic N Delicious
Normally it would be socially unacceptable to have wine with your breakfast, but seeing as this is closer to sunset than sunrise, we say go for it!
- Hangtown Fry and Wine Pairings with Breakfast for Dinner from ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
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I could pit cherries all day too, but then I´d eat them fresh mostly, jaja, very few make it to the desserts! An awesome crisp Laura!
When I pit sweet cherries I end up eating most of them too. Luckily that wasn’t a temptation with these sour ones 🙂
This is making my mouth water- I love cherries and crisps! Great recipe!
I also could pit cherries all day long! Especially if this is what I get in the end!
Yay for gluten-free goodies which actually taste and look appetizing. Thank you for sharing this recipe, Laura. Very much appreciate the tips about cherries, too =)
I can’t believe you like pitting cherries! Hehe! I need to hire you for one of my next #SundaySupper recipes!
Thanks for visiting, Shannon!
Dishes are the worst! I personally hate folding in egg whites – I don’t know why!
I would do dishes for this crisp though – yum!
Folding in egg whites can be a challenge. You have to mix them in just right so they are incorporated but don’t deflate. Definitely an interesting task.
You had me at cherries! They’re my faves
Hi:
Totally off topic, but …. to peel peaches, plums, nectarines, tomatoes (but not applies!), cut a small “x” at the bottom of the fruit, impale said fruit on a long handled fork, and dunk said fruit into boiling water for about 15-20 seconds. Cool (in ice water if you want) and the pesky little skins just slide r-i-g-h-t off. Seriously. Been doing this for about a hundred years.
I have heard that before! Thanks for the tip, Lizzie 🙂
Separating eggs isn’t so bad, but I find pitting cherries (or olives) to be, well, the pits! And I even have a cherry pitter to help with the job! But I sure do love all the things I bake with pitted cherries. 😉 I haven’t made a cherry crisp for ages – need to do that again. This looks wonderful – thanks so much.
I’ll crack your eggs if you pit my cherries 🙂 What a gorgeous crisp…perfect summer treat!
Deal! Thanks, Liz!
I have an egg separating tool. It’s just this tiny, plastic tool that you crack the egg over, and it holds the yolk while the white drips out. No mess, no fuss. It’s seriously one of my favorite kitchen tools. I’ll lend it to you if you feed me some of this cherry crisp! Yum.
I so have to get one of those egg separators! That sounds so easy. The things these companies come up with are so genius sometimes!
I have yet to find the elusive sour cherry this summer but have made friends with their sweet cousins! And a crisp is a sumptuous dessert for cherry enjoyment! A splendid summer treat!
So, yes, sweet cherries are wonderful as well! I can’t get enough of either!
I love crisps and I love cherries. Very good.
I used to pit sour cherries all the time when I was little! I love doing it too! And, you’re right sour cherries are different in that they are so delicate and so juicy – you want to preserve that juice by pitting them very carefully. We used to have 3 sour cherry trees in our garden growing up, but now I have a hard time finding fresh sour cherries. Where did you purchase yours?
It would be amazing to have sour cherry trees! I found some at the farmers’ market for the first time ever. I was really surprised as I’ve been shopping there for years and have never seen them. I got the rest at a local orchard, the only one where I thankfully don’t have to pick them myself. They are not as pretty as the ones I see on blogs, as they have many bruises, but they get the job done.
Cherries are my absolute favorite. I wait to buy the sour cherries in 5 gallon buckets from the farmers market. I then freeze them or make cherry pies or cobbler. I m needing to check this out, too! And quick!
I agree these would be good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Thanks
★★★★★
Laura, this looks so awesome! The perfect Michigan dessert 🙂 I just picked up a huge box of fresh cherries today!
How fun to have your mom helping you in the kitchen! This is my kind of dessert, I love it!
I love a good crisp. And I love cherries! Great looking recipe…thanks for sharing!
That oat topping looks so rich and buttery, I can’t believe it’s vegan! Yum!
I actually prefer the vegan topping to the traditional one made with butter. Thanks, Christin!
I absolutely hate pitting cherries! Which is unfortunate for me because my husband demands cherry desserts all the time! LOL He’d love this crisp…
I try to get away with not peeling fruit whenever I can. But egg separating, dish cleaning and cherry pitting don’t seem to bother me at all!
Especially if the end result is this crisp. MAJOR yum.
That’s a great tip about pitting the cherries! It makes it so much easier.
Thanks, William, and thanks for visiting!
Well, considering the last couple of treats went directly to Jessica and Aria, I am not a fan of peanut butter, I enjoyed this immensely. Thank you and I look forward to sampling another excellent treat. Great Job!
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So interesting to read about your kitchen task preferences! I agree about peeling fruit, although sometimes I’m a fan of an extra loose-skinned tangerine. I think one of my biggest bothers is washing rice and grains before cooking… I always manage to let a few grains slip through when trying to drain. This crisp looks delicious—I’m a huge fan of sour cherry anything!
Whenever I’m washing and draining something I drop a few of them, whether it’s blueberries or grains or cherries – I forgot what a pain that is!
This looks so good! I love crisps and this is a great treat for summer!
Oh dishes! The bane of my existence. If I could just hire one person to work for me, they’d be a full time dishwasher. 🙂 This cherry crisp sounds so perfectly sweet and sour. I’m a sucker for anything that can be topped with vanilla ice cream!
You and I need to work in the kitchen together. I’ll separate eggs, peel fruit and do the dishes. You can pit all the cherries you want! I love baking with them but I hate pitting them and I refuse to buy another single-purpose gadget. Your crisp looks divine. I could dive right into that golden, crispy topping and sweet cherry filling!
Sounds like this would be the perfect treat for the summer!
thought they were excellent,really enjoyed them.
★★★★
This sour cherry crisp looks very tasty and healthy at the same time. The pictures look great, thank you for the time to take them properly, i will try this recipe myself this weekend.
Thanks, Larson, and thanks for visiting 🙂
Delicious!