It’s cold and dark outside, and maybe you are craving something warm and bright. Or maybe you want to serve a dessert that is homemade, but one that doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare. Brighten up a dark winter evening with this cherry almond crumble. The warm, baked cherries are a burst of flavor and color, just when you need it. Quicker and easier than a pie, the crumble still allows you to enjoy the warm sweetness of baked fruit, but with a lightly sweet and crunchy topping, and only about fifteen minutes of prep time.
Tart cherries freeze beautifully, so frozen tart cherries are available and delicious all year round. This recipe (which I adapted from some of my other fruit crumble recipes, which I adapted over time, from countless sources) allows you to put the frozen cherries right in the baking dish, so you don’t even need to pre-cook them. I especially like the tart Montmorency cherries from northern Michigan, because they taste amazing. They are tart and sweet at the same time, and even after they are baked, they somehow still taste fresh to me.
My feelings for Michigan cherries run deep, and cherries are connected to many cherished memories for me, some of which I have already written about in previous posts. But even without the memories, these cherries are so full of health benefits! They have serious anti-inflammatory properties that are said to help soothe arthritis and sore muscles, among many other things. Also, the topping, with its oats and almonds, has some good nutrition in it too. The crumble is a more humble dessert than the pie, and it perhaps doesn’t look as glamorous (and it can be somewhat difficult to photograph too). But it tastes just a good, and sometimes comfort, ease, and economy of time win over glamour. I love it, and so does my family!
I hope you all have a great weekend, and stay warm! 
I am sharing this recipe with the great group of bloggers at Angie’s Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook and Mr. Fitz @ Cooking With Mr. Fitz.
Cherry Almond Crumble
Ingredients:
For the fruit filling:
- 1 pound of frozen tart cherries (preferrably tart Montmorency cherries)
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- a pinch of salt
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 3/4 cup of old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of raw almonds, chopped or slivered
- 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, and almonds for the topping.
In a 9 inch x 9 inch baking pan, spread out the frozen cherries. Gently toss them with the 2 tablespoons each of sugar and flour, plus the pinch of salt, until well combined.
In the bowl with the topping ingredients, cut in the butter with a fork or a pastry cutter. Continue to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cherries.
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the cherries are bubbling.
If you want the crumble to set, allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Serve alone or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!
I’m in love with tart cherries! This crumble looks AMAZING! Can’t wait to make it 🙂
Thanks Sarah! Happy New Year to you!
Your cherry almond crumble looks delicious. I love cherries and so clever to use frozen ones! It is a very grey day here and this sounds perfect. 🙂
Thank you, Petra! It’s a grey day here too….cherries cheer me up. 🙂
I have to look for those cherries at my grocery store. They look and sound amazing. I love how the cherries are still a gorgeous bright red even after baking. Pinned!
Thank you Lily. I hope you can find the cherries–they are a little taste of summer in the winter. 🙂
I love fresh cherries, but I don’t mind frozen ones when they are as pretty and as red as these. This sound delicious. Thank you for sharing and happy FF101! I hope you are enjoying the party! 🙂
Thank you so much Jhuls, and thanks for co-hosting this week!
I love crisps and crumbles. This recipe looks wonderful.
Thank you Sheryl–me too. 🙂 Happy New Year!
I make crumbles but why haven’t I thought of a cherry one. This is a dessert that will be on my table soon.
Thank you so much, Karen! I just love cherries, and they taste like a bit of summer to me. Your blog was one of the first ones I found, enjoyed and admired when I started blogging a year and a half ago, so I really appreciate your stopping by! Happy New Year!
That is so sweet Jenny, thank you! It was my pleasure. 🙂
This looks like just the thing I’ve been subconsciously craving! I have a bunch of Montmorency cherries in the freezer that we picked during the summer up near Traverse City, so I don’t even need to go to the store! I hope you’re managing to stay warm 🙂
Thank you–I hope you are staying warm too! We don’t have our thick “winter blood” yet with the warm December that we had–this cold weather is going to take a little getting used to again! How fun that you picked your own cherries up north! I bet they will be delicious!
ooohh.. looks delish! thanks for bringing it to fiesta friday 101
Thank you very much! Thank you for co-hosting the fiesta this week!
This looks amazing Jenny! I just love crumbles and cherry is so yummy!
Thank you, Julie! I appreciate it! 🙂
What a perfect little dessert to bring back hope when things are at their darkest and coldest. Cherries and crumbles are two of my favorite things and both symbolize hope, rebirth, spring and everything wonderful. Great dish and great timing 🙂
Thanks Amanda, it’s always great to hear from you. 🙂 I agree–cherries are naturally so bright and vibrant, and they are very cheering.