When I was growing up I remember my mom occasionally making TV dinners for the family. I also remember that’s when I met my dear, dear friend…cherry crisp. Oh man did I look forward to diving into that tiny little section of the black plastic tray. It was like Christmas in my mouth, with a touch of potassium benzoate sprinkled in for freshness.

I found a great recipe for cherry crisp many years ago. It’s my go-to recipe when chocolate and I are taking a break. Sometimes chocolate needs its space. Apparently if you talk about getting engaged and wanting to go ring shopping, chocolate thinks you’re moving too fast. So in those situations I turn to cherry crisp. The crust of this dessert is buttery, sweet and has a hint of salt. I add a scoop of vanilla ice cream while it’s still warm, and then cherry crisp and I spend some quality time together.

It’s time to make chocolate jealous.

In a bowl, combine salt, sugar and flour; cut in butter.  Towards the end, I used my hands to mix things up.

Place dough into bottom of greased muffin wells and use a small glass or measuring cup to flatten the dough. Take remaining dough and press up the sides of each well. You’re going to cover the top so you don’t need to be exact. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Spoon pie filling into half-baked cups. The original recipe calls for using tart cherries and making your own filling, but it was 10 pm on a Sunday and I had to work the next day. The pie filling was an easy solution. If you’ve got the time then I’m sure a homemade cherry filling would be fabulous. You show off.

Combine all topping ingredients; sprinkle over filling.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly around edges.

Top with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. You’ll have about ½ can of pie filling left over so feel free to top each one with more filling. If you don’t serve these warm out of the oven, you can microwave for 15 seconds and then add the ice cream.

I’m sorry chocolate, I think we should see other people. It’s not you. It’s me.

Cherry Crisp Cups

Adapted from Taste of Home

Pastry

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter

Filling:

Topping:

• 1-1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions:

In a bowl, combine salt, sugar and flour; cut in butter. Press dough into greased muffin tins and bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Spoon pie filling into each muffin well. Combine all topping ingredients; sprinkle over filling. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly around edges. Let cool mostly before removing from tin. Run thin knife around edges and gently pop out each crisp. Yield: 8 muffin cup servings (with some left over topping and pie filling).