Cherry Crisp Pie

I was in the mood for cherry pie but didn't want to make pie crust, so I improvised and made a cherry crisp in pie form. The recipe calls for fresh cherries, but you could substitute canned pie filling if they happen to be out-of-season. We liked this pie served a la mode and thought the sweetness of the crust and topping was a good balance with the tartness of the cherries.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 1 pie

Ingredients

• Crust

• 3⁄4 cup flour
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1⁄4 cup butter, melted

• Filling

• 4  cups tart cherries, with pits and stems removed
• 1  cup sugar
• 4  tablespoons cornstarch

• Topping

• 1⁄2 cup flour
• 1⁄2 cup rolled oats
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1⁄4 cup butter, softened

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine crust ingredients with a fork until mixture resembles wet sand. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a standard pie plate, using the back of a spoon or fingers.
3. Combine filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl; set aside until juice begins to form (Note: If the cherries are especially juicy, add more cornstarch for thickening. Otherwise, the pie filling will not set up well). Pour cherry mixture into crust.
4. In a small mixing bowl, combine topping ingredients until butter is thoroughly incorporated. With fingers, crumble atop cherry filling.
5. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until topping is crispy and brown, and filling is bubbly.
6. To allow the pie filling to set up well, cool for at least two hours on a wire rack.
7. Cut into eight slices to serve. If desired, garnish each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.