Fresh Cherry Fruit Crunch

We are heading into Cherry Season soon....and I love fresh cherries! This recipe ( I think it was from Pam Anderson) is a takeoff of one for apples or pears. I use to make it in the fall and thought why not in the summer? I don't mind pitting cherries, I just slice them in half and hope that I don't eat most of them before I make this!

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Yields: 24 pieces

Ingredients

• Easy Crunch Crust

• 2  cups flour (all-purpose)
• 1  cup butter, melted and at room temp
• 1 1⁄3 cups brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup walnuts, finely chopped

• Cheese Filling

• 8  ounces cream cheese, soften to room temp
• 1  cup powdered sugar
• 1  pint heavy whipping cream

• Cherry Topping

• 4 1⁄2 cups fresh cherries, halved (whole if you have a cherry pitter)
• 3⁄4 cup white sugar
• 1⁄4 cup cornstarch
• 1  cup water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  almond extract (the real thing, please)

Directions

1. Prepare cherries and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Crust: Mix all the crust ingredients together and press inside an 8"x11" baking dish. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
4. Filling: Whip cream and sugar til just holding peaks then fold in soften cream cheese. Don't whip this in as it tends to get liquidy.
5. Spread cheese mixture over crust carefully and reffrigerate.
6. Topping: Put cherries and sugar into sauce over low heat.
7. Whisk cornstarch with water and stir into cherries.
8. Raise heat to medium. Cook until mixture thickens, stirring regularly.
9. Remove from heat and stir in extract.
10. Allow to cool, stirring now and then.
11. Spread over cheese mixture and chill.