Valentine’s Day Cherry-Raspberry Crisp

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.   It is obligatory to make a dessert, I know.   Generally, that has to be a chocolate dessert and something that can be hand-fed to your lover—chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate fondue, chocolate bonbons, chocolate truffles.

I am breaking protocol a bit.   I am adding some chocolate flavor, yes, but we will have to use spoons to hand-feed each other this dessert.

Since I found bag after bag of frozen dark sweet cherries in the freezer and I haven’t really put a dent in the fourteen pounds of red raspberries as I continue my purge of our food supplies, this V-Day dessert had to be  made with these luscious beauties.

Some more frozen sweet dark cherries and a BIG box of raspberries.

I am not sure if this is a cobbler, crumb, buckle or what?   I am deeming it a “crisp.”     I do know that it is very tasty!

Valentine’s Day Cherry Crisp

1/2 c.  sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 t.  ground cinnamon
Dash of fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 c.  frozen pitted sweet dark cherries, thawed
2 c. frozen red raspberries, thawed
2 T. Amaretto
zest from one lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together dry ingredients (sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt).   Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss cherries, Amaretto, and lemon zest.  

Cherries, raspberries, Amaretto and lemon zest.

Add dry ingredients and toss to coat.   Place cherry mixture in a prepared 9 x 9 baking pan. 

I used a bit smaller heart-shaped pan.

Make topping:

1 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
dash of fine sea salt
5 T. chilled butter, cut into small cubes

Place all ingredients for topping in a food processor and pulse until combined.    Press topping into cherry mixture.  

My pan was so full that I placed the dish on a foil-lined baking sheet before putting it in the oven.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until topping is browned and mixture is bubbly.

To create this recipe, I adapted my Dark Sweet Cherry Pie recipe and the topping from my Heirloom Apple Pie with Crumb Topping.

Good thing I put it on a baking sheet.

Serve this with a drizzle of melted chocolate and whipped cream if desired (and we desired!).

Crumbly, crisp, and bubbly---direct from the oven.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Note:   When I make this again in this smaller heart pan (and not a 9 x 9 baking dish), I will decrease the amount of “crisp”.   It was almost too much for the berry mixture.   Whipped cream is a must for this dessert.