Easy Pineapple Cherry Crisp Recipe

Prepare yourself for the most decadent, delicious crisp ever. Autumn LeAnn has all the secrets in this easy pineapple cherry crisp — starting with a double layer of crumble! "When I eat a crisp that someone else has made, I always think there's too much fruit and not enough of the crumble part," she says. "Doing it this way gives a more pleasant crumb to fruit ratio, in my opinion."

Pineapple and cherry are a classic combo, seen in everything from pineapple upside-down cake to many classic cocktails. "I think it balances nicely since the pineapple is a little more sour," says LeAnn, "so the sweetness of the maraschino cherries really brings it all together."

As written, the recipe calls for a super simple crumble mixture made with oats, sugar, and spices, but you could also jazz it up with nuts or seeds for added crunch. LeAnn even suggests "making it into mini crisps using a cupcake pan."

To make this easy pineapple cherry crisp, you'll first make the crisp layer: a delightful combo of both brown and white sugars, oats, flour, and butter. The crisp is seasoned with baking spices: cinnamon and nutmeg, plus a generous drizzle of vanilla extract.

For the fruit layer, nothing could be simpler: You'll need a can each of maraschino cherries and pineapple chunks. "I used pineapple that was packed in juice," says LeAnn. "I imagine using pineapple packed in syrup would still be delicious, maybe even a little bit sweeter!" And a scoop of vanilla ice cream is the perfect finishing touch.

To begin making this easy pineapple cherry crisp, first preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray your 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 

While the oven heats, turn your attention to the topping. To make the oat mixture, simply stir together the dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle in the butter, and stir until nicely combined. If you like, you can add other spices like cloves or even a pinch of salt to this mixture for even more flavor.

Now that the oat mixture is made, it's time to assemble the easy pineapple cherry crisp. And while a crisp usually has a fruit layer on the bottom, LeAnn's recipe begins by sprinkling about a third of the crumble directly into the prepared pan. Spread it out evenly, and then top with the drained fruit. Top with another third of the crumble mixture, and gently mix it with the fruit with your hands to combine. 

Finish things off with the remaining oat mixture to create the crisp topping, and then bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

Once the easy pineapple cherry crisp emerges from the oven, it's time to wait ... if you can. "They say it's best to let the crisp cool down before enjoying it," LeAnn says, but she places little stock in the opinions of an elusive and invisible "they."

"I can't help thinking it's better hot out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!" she says.  Whichever way you choose, it's hard to go wrong with such a delicious dessert. According to LeAnn, "It's delightful either way."