Cherries, Cherries Everywhere, But Nary-A-One to Spare

I went grocery shopping yesterday and came across some lovely cherries. I hastily grabbed them and added the bag to my cart, not thinking twice about what I would do with them. (Yes, I am an impulse shopper. It’s a dangerous habit and hard to break. Heaven forbid my mom and I go shopping together when we are in one of our impulse shopping moments. It’s not pretty. Not pretty at all.) When I got home, I decided I would try my hand at a cherry crisp recipe. I tucked that idea in the back of my mind and went on with whatever it was I was doing at the time.

Jump ahead to today. Late this morning, my mom and I were doing the oh-so-very thrilling task of washing the mini-blinds in my living room. Tim walked past with something in his hands, looking rather pleased. Upon further inspection, I spotted a handful of freshly washed cherries – my cherries! – in a paper towel. His pleased look was obviously because he loves cherries and had just scored a mighty fine snack. I stopped in my tracks and, with a frantic look in my eyes, said, “WHAT are you doing with those cherries?!?” Poor Tim. Picture a deer in headlights. He hadn’t done anything except get himself a healthy snack and here was his lunatic wife, flipping out about it. Looking confused (as he very well should have) he said, “I… I can’t have them?” Me: “NO! I need exactly 4 CUPS of pitted cherries to make my cherry crisp! What if I don’t have enough?” Again, deer in headlights. “Cherry crisp? What cherry crisp?” So, I calmed down and told him my plan… and he graciously returned the cherries to the bag and sought out another snack.

The kicker is that when all was said and done and I had pitted the cherries needed for the crisp, there was almost the exact amount of cherries left in the bag as Tim had in his hand hours before.

He’s long suffering, it’s true. But – at least he got first dibs on a rockin’ good cherry crisp.

Fresh Cherry Crisp

4 cups pitted, fresh cherries

1 cup white sugar

4 tablespoons gluten free all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur brand

1 cup oats

1 cup Pamela’s baking mix

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix the cherries, 4 TBS flour and white sugar. Evenly spread the cherry mixture into baking dish.

Combine the oats, Pamela’s baking mix, brown sugar and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the cherry mixture. Bake for 35 minutes.