Cherry–Hazelnut Crisp (Reduced Sugar)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on May 8, 2020
Time
1 hour, plus 20 minutes cooling
Yield
Serves 6
Sugar
28 grams (down from 55)
Ingredients
Topping
¼ cup (1¼ ounces/35 grams) Sucanat 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and chopped½ cup (2½ ounces/71 grams) all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg ⅛ teaspoon salt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted½ teaspoon vanilla extractFilling
2 pounds (907 grams) frozen sweet cherries ½ cup red wine 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon Sucanat 1 tablespoon cornstarchBefore You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. You can substitute 2 pounds fresh cherries, halved and pitted, for the frozen cherries; skip microwaving and draining the cherries in step 2, and substitute ½ cup water for juice in step 3. Do not skip grinding the Sucanat in step 1 or the topping will taste dry and dusty.
Instructions
- Grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Pulse ground Sucanat, hazelnuts, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in food processor until nuts are finely chopped, about 9 pulses. Drizzle melted butter and vanilla over top and pulse until mixture resembles crumbly, wet sand, about 5 pulses.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Microwave frozen cherries in covered bowl, stirring occasionally, until thawed, about 6 minutes. Drain cherries in colander set over bowl. Measure out and reserve ½ cup drained juice in separate bowl; supplement juice with water if necessary.
- Combine ½ cup reserved cherry juice, red wine, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in 12-inch skillet and cook over medium heat until mixture measures ½ cup, 6 to 10 minutes. Stir in butter and lemon juice and cook until butter is melted about 1 minute. Add drained cherries and Sucanat and cook, stirring occasionally, until cherries are warmed through and Sucanat is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in cornstarch and simmer, stirring constantly, until liquid is thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to 8-inch square baking dish and set on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Pinch topping into ½-inch pieces (with some smaller loose bits) and sprinkle over filling. Bake until fruit is bubbling and topping is deep golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer to wire rack and let crisp cool for 20 minutes before serving.
for the topping
for the filling
Time
1 hour, plus 20 minutes coolingYield
Serves 6Sugar
28 grams (down from 55)Ingredients
Topping
Filling
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Topping
Filling
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Topping
Filling
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Because of the cherries' naturally intense sweetness, we needed only a tablespoon of Sucanat in our filling. But our first few crisps were somewhat dull and flat in flavor, and the excess liquid from the cherries swallowed up the crumble topping. To solve this, we first drained the juice from the cherries and reduced it on the stovetop along with some red wine. This drove off some moisture and enhanced the sweetness and flavor of the filling. A bit of cornstarch gave the sauce a rich, spoon-clinging consistency, while butter offered richness and a squeeze of lemon juice balanced out the other flavors. With our filling down, we turned to the topping. We started with our core ingredients—Sucanat, flour, and butter—and added cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract for a solid flavor backbone. But with the decreased sugar content, the topping didn't crisp as much as we would have liked. We solved this by swapping out some flour for hazelnuts, which gave the topping richness, character, and crunch.
Before You Begin
You can learn more about Sucanat in this article. You can substitute 2 pounds fresh cherries, halved and pitted, for the frozen cherries; skip microwaving and draining the cherries in step 2, and substitute ½ cup water for juice in step 3. Do not skip grinding the Sucanat in step 1 or the topping will taste dry and dusty.
Instructions
- Grind Sucanat in spice grinder until fine and powdery, about 1 minute. Pulse ground Sucanat, hazelnuts, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in food processor until nuts are finely chopped, about 9 pulses. Drizzle melted butter and vanilla over top and pulse until mixture resembles crumbly, wet sand, about 5 pulses.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Microwave frozen cherries in covered bowl, stirring occasionally, until thawed, about 6 minutes. Drain cherries in colander set over bowl. Measure out and reserve ½ cup drained juice in separate bowl; supplement juice with water if necessary.
- Combine ½ cup reserved cherry juice, red wine, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon in 12-inch skillet and cook over medium heat until mixture measures ½ cup, 6 to 10 minutes. Stir in butter and lemon juice and cook until butter is melted about 1 minute. Add drained cherries and Sucanat and cook, stirring occasionally, until cherries are warmed through and Sucanat is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in cornstarch and simmer, stirring constantly, until liquid is thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to 8-inch square baking dish and set on aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Pinch topping into ½-inch pieces (with some smaller loose bits) and sprinkle over filling. Bake until fruit is bubbling and topping is deep golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer to wire rack and let crisp cool for 20 minutes before serving.
for the topping
for the filling
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