Cherry Almond Crumble

This cherry almond crisp/crumble recipe is a tasty spin on the traditional cherry crisp/crumble, its bursting with juicy sweet cherries, topped a buttery, crunchy double almond+ oat crumble. A delicious and simple recipe to make thats not too sweet with healthy natural ingredients. The base is a simple combination of pitted cherries, brown/coconut sugar and vanilla. And the topping is assembled in ONE bowl (no food processor, no cutting cold butter etc) and baked. This easy crumble recipe is made with pantry friendly ingredients and can even be assembled ahead of time then and popped in the oven to bake for an easy stress-free dessert or even breakfast. 

Filling Ingredients:

Cherries: Feel free to use any variety of cherries that you prefer or use half cherry and half other fruits such as blackberries/apples/blueberries or other fruit you have, but fresh seasonal is always preferred.
Sugar: I used coconut or sometimes brown sugar for the filling, but granulated white sugar can be used as well to sweeten the cherries – feel free to add more or less sugar according to taste and sweetness of your fruit.
Cornstarch: fruit releases a lot of moisture when baked and the cornstarch helps with thickening the juice to prevent the filling from becoming too juicy.
Lemon juice: the slight acidity helps balance and bring out the sweetness of the fruit.
Vanilla extract: I use pure vanilla extract, it adds so much flavor.
Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt enhance the flavors and balance the sweetness of the cherry crisp. Feel free to omit any spice if you prefer simple flavors to enjoy the flavor of the fruit.

Topping Ingredients:

Almond Flour: I used ground almond flour to give rich nutty flavor without gluten. Feel free to use a other good all purpose gluten free all purpose flour if desired
Old fashioned oats: I always love to add old fashioned oats (not quick oats) to my crisp toppings. Feel free to use gluten free oats if desired
Almonds: chopped or sliced almonds add a tasty crunch to compliment the almond flour flavor – feel free to substitute with walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans, in my opinion almond works the best.
Coconut sugar: adds additional sweetness and we love it’s caramelized flavor. Feel free to use brown sugar if you prefer.
Butter: I use unsalted butter in this recipe so I’m in control of the salt. For a vegan or plant based version feel free to use vegan butter or even solid coconut oil.
Salt: just a pinch is all you need and it adds just enough savoriness to balance and enhance the flavors.
Spices: I used a pinch of cinnamon for added flavor- feel free to add according to taste or leave it out if you prefer a spice free topping.

How to make cherry crisp:

Make the Cherry Filling – This is super easy to make – you just pit cherries, add them into a large skillet or oven proof dish, toss with lemon juice, then stir together the remaining ingredients- sugar, corn starch, vanilla, spices if using, salt then pour over cherries and toss to fully coat. Make sure your cherries are all pitted.
Make the Crumble Topping – stir the butter with oats, almond flour, chopped almonds until you get a crumbly texture (I like to use my fingers to stir and work the butter through for evenly perfect texture)
Bake the Cherry Crumble – Bake until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Feel free to tent with foil if topping gets brown too quickly.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Tightly cover the dish, skillet or baking dish with foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. I prefer to transfer the crisp to a storage container and refrigerate.
Make Ahead: assemble the whole thing, then cover with foil and place into the fridge until ready to bake it. You may need to add another 5 minutes or so to the cooking if transferred directly from the fridge, but making ahead works beautifully.
Reheat: Reheat individual portions in a microwave-safe dish for about 1 minute in the microwave or in the oven covered in foil. In my house it normally doesn’t make it to the next day haha!!