Tart Cherry Crisp

It’s dessert week at The Bunnies Patch. On Sunday, we shared a bonus recipe to the week, our Vegan Chocolate Cake with Ganache. Perfect with a cup of freshly perked coffee.  So chocolatey and decadent it’s a chocoholic’s dream come true!  Here’s the link, if you’d like to take a look! https://thebunniespatch.home.blog/2020/10/04/vegan-chocolate-cake-with-ganache/ Today’s recipe is for those who love the sweet tartness of cherries. Our TART CHERRY CRISP is perfect for the minimalist homey personalities. It’s an easy to make classic that couldn’t be any more perfect for a cozy evening in, during the cool autumn nights. Our Tart Cherry Crisp has autumnal cinnamon spice and a fantastic golden buttery flavor throughout the cherries. The cherries are topped with a subtle sugary crisp topping. Coconut sugar adds a molasses taste to the topping and dried oats and chopped walnuts add some nutrtional value to an otherwise sweet coarse treat. You might be asking yourself how this is an autumn recipe, as that cherries are typically out of season in the fall? That’s where the easiest part of this recipe comes into play. We use dried cherries! All you need to do is rehydrate them and that takes near to no energy at all. This recipe can be made vegan or vegetarian. So, let’s get baking!

TART CHERRY CRISP:
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup dried cherries
• enough water to just cover the dried cherries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup oats
• 2/3 cup flour
• 4 Tablespoons (vegan) butter, cut into cubes, softened + more to grease baking dish
• 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• dash of salt

METHOD:

• First you’ll wanna rehydrate the cherries. In a small mixing bowl, add the 1 cup of dried cherries and fill that bowl with enough water to just cover the cherries. They will need several hours to plump up. It’s best to do this step overnight. Keeping the bowl of cherries in the refrigerator until ready to use. When they are rehydrated and some of the water has been soaked up. Drain the cherries and set aside. When this has been done, then you’re ready for next step! You could reserve the cherry juice to use in a drink, smoothie or something of that nature.

• In a medium mixing bowl add, oats, flour, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Mix to combine. Add a dash of salt and the butter. With a pastry cutter or a fork press butter into the flour mixture until well combined and looks crumbled. 
• Next add the chopped walnuts and coconut sugar. Stirring well to combine.

• Pour the rehydrated cherries into a 1 quart baking dish that has been greased with butter. 
• Top the cherries with the crumb mixture. Flatten it out a bit.
• Bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes.
• Let stand for 30-40 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy!