CHOCOLATE CHERRY CRUMBLE: National Cherry Day!

Today is National Cherry Day! Fresh cherries are in the markets and all the roadside stands, so I thought I'd make a Crumble. Here's an easy Chocolate Cherry Crumble recipe. Of course, there are so many different "crumble" toppings you can use. This dessert is very forgiving, so feel free to play with the ingredients.

Chocolate Cherry Crumble

Ingredients

Topping
1 cup walnut halves, chopped  (you can substitute almonds)
7 Tbsp unsalted, cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour

Fruit
About 25 or so fresh cherries, pitted and sliced in half
2 Tbsp local honey
Zest of 1 orange
1 -1 /2 to 2 oz. 65%-75% dark chocolate (bittersweet chocolate), broken into chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 350
Mix cherries, honey, chocolate, and orange zest in mixing bowl.
Distribute cherry/chocolate mixture on the bottom of 8 inch pie pan (lightly buttered)

Make Topping: Combine 1 cup flour and sugar. Add the pieces of butter and chopped nuts. With your hands, mash up butter and combine into a loose dough. Break into small pieces and sprinkle mixture evenly over the top of cherry/chocolate mixture. You don't have to use all of the topping.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Crumble should be golden brown, but not burnt. Serve warm.

Alternative Crumble Topping (delicious)
1 cup flour
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
8 ounces unsalted butter
1 Tbs cinnamon
Combine  flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon until blended and beginning to gather into small balls. Break into small pieces and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the cherry/chocolate mixture.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CRUMBLE: Fresh Cherries!

Fresh cherries are in the markets and at all the roadside stands so I thought I'd make a Crumble. Here's an easy Chocolate Cherry Crumble recipe. Of course, there are so many different "crumble" toppings you can use. This dessert is very forgiving, so feel free to play with the ingredients.

Chocolate Cherry Crumble

Ingredients

Topping
1 cup walnut halves, chopped  (you can substitute almonds, if you prefer)
7 Tbsp unsalted, cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour

Fruit
About 25 or so fresh cherries, pitted and sliced in half
2 Tbsp local honey
Zest of 1 orange
1 -1 /2 to 2 oz. 65%-75% dark chocolate (bittersweet chocolate), broken into chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 350
Mix cherries, honey, chocolate, and orange zest in mixing bowl.
Distribute cherry/chocolate mixture on the bottom of 8 inch pie pan (lightly buttered)

Make Topping: Combine 1 cup flour and sugar. Add the pieces of butter and chopped nuts. With your hands, mash up butter and combine into a loose dough. Break into small pieces and sprinkle mixture evenly over the top of cherry/chocolate mixture. You don't have to use all of the topping.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Crumble should be golden brown, but not burnt. Serve warm.

Alternative Crumble Topping (delicious)
1 cup flour
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
8 ounces unsalted butter
1 Tbs cinnamon
Combine  flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon until blended and beginning to gather into small balls. Break into small pieces and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the cherry/chocolate mixture.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CRUMBLE

Fresh cherries are at all the roadside stands now, so I thought I'd make a Crumble. Here's an easy Chocolate Cherry Crumble recipe. Of course, there are so many different "crumble" toppings you can use. This dessert is very forgiving, so play with the ingredients.

Chocolate Cherry Crumble

Ingredients

Topping
1 cup walnut halves, chopped  (you can substitute almonds, if you prefer)
7 tablespoons unsalted, cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour

Fruit
About 25 or so fresh cherries, pitted and sliced in half
2 tbsp local honey
Zest of 1 orange
1 -1 /2 to 2 oz. 65%-75% dark chocolate (bittersweet chocolate), broken into chunks

Directions

Preheat oven to 350
Mix cherries, honey, chocolate, and orange zest in mixing bowl.
Distribute cherry/chocolate mixture on the bottom of 8 inch pie pan (lightly buttered)

Make Topping: Combine 1 cup flour and sugar. Add the pieces of butter and chopped nuts. With your hands, mash up butter and combine into a loose dough. Break into small pieces and sprinkle mixture evenly over the top of cherry/chocolate mixture. You don't have to use all of the topping.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Crumble should be golden brown, but not burnt. Serve warm.

Alternative Crumble Topping (delicious)
1 cup flour
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
8 ounces unsalted butter
1 tbsp cinnamon
Combine  flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon until blended and beginning to gather into small balls. Break into small pieces and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the cherry/chocolate mixture.

Strawberry Chocolate Cookie Crumble

I recently ordered a Strawberry Crumble for dessert. Yes, I ordered this over the Chocolate Plano Pudding, but it was a warm day, and I was splitting dessert with a strawberry shortcake fiend, so it was a compromise. Well, imagine my surprise when the crumble was not like any crumble I ever tasted before...or at least that I remembered, and it was all about chocolate! I asked the waiter. "Chocolate cookie dough crumble," he said. Obviously this dessert was not well described on the menu, but it was so delicious, who cared? I asked for the recipe. Well, no, it's chef's secret. So began my search for a recipe. Thank you, Internet, I found a good recipe at Food & Wine that replicated the chocolate cookie crumble, so I adapted that to use over my strawberries. I saw other recipes, but this one came closest. As far as the strawberry part..in the original restaurant dessert, they were cut up and seemed to be marinated with simple syrup and balsamic vinegar, but I can't be sure. Rememeber that the freshest strawberries will make for a winning dessert.. This would be great for Fourth of July!

STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUMBLE

Ingredients
1/2 pound dark chocolate (72 percent), coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup oat flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup turbinado sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Strawberries (marinate with simple syrup & balsamic vinegar)

Directions
In food processor, pulse chocolate until size of peas. Transfer to plate and freeze for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 325°.
Sift both flours with cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
In large bowl, using electric mixer, beat butter with both sugars at medium speed until very light and fluffy, 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture until just incorporated, then stir in frozen chocolate.
Put marinated strawberries in heat-proof deep pan (or individual ramekins).
Drop clumps of chocolate cookie dough on top of strawberries.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until top is dry but crumble is still soft. Let cool completely.