Cooking with Kelly: Cherry Crunch Cobbler Recipe

Wish I had a better pic,
but it was gone too quick

I still have an abundance of cherries from a generous client gift and have been crafting different ways to use these bad boys. Related: I feel like Dexter when pitting cherries. I use a stainless steel straw to pop out the pits and it's slow going, but it works.

I pitted them all and froze some whole. I used another batch to make cherry pie filling with the aim of making a delicious cobbler with a little something extra. I froze half of the cherry pie filling and look forward to using it in another application - maybe some bars or a nice cake?

In the meantime, I set out to make a cherry cobbler that didn't just crumble away and had a bit of bite left. What I came up with was pretty tasty - the crust was chewy thanks to the oatmeal, and the rice krispies lent a bit of crunch to the whole concoction, too.

In conclusion, when you give Kelly 24 bags of cherries, expect platters and pie tins filled with cherries. Sorry I'm not sorry.

Cherry Pie Filling Recipe
6 cups pitted cherries

1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. I cut the heat and let the combo cool on the counter for  few minutes, then divided it. You'll need half for the cobbler and can use the other half another day.

Cherry Crunch Cobbler Recipe

1/2 of the above cherry pie filling

1/2 cup instant oats

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

3/4 cups brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup rice krispies, divided

Cut the butter into squares, then combine all the remaining ingredients except the cereal. Mash the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9x9 pan. Top with 1/4 cup of the cereal, then top with the cherry pie mixture.

Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the cherries, then add the cereal.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then slice and serve warm. A la mode for me, please.