Individual Cherry Crumbles

3.14 was Pi Day - did you bake a pie?  I made this cherry pie with lattice crust to bring to a church lunch.  I also made these mini cherry crumbles for us to eat here at home.  Crumbles are kind of like pie, right?  I think they're actually a little easier to make than pie.  Plus making them gave me a chance to use a single can of Oregan red tart cherries that had been taking up valuable space in my pantry.  

Individual Cherry Crumbles

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cherry filling:

• 14.5 ounce can Oregon red tart cherries in water (juice included)
• 4-6 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• pinch of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract

Crumb topping:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold

Directions

To make the cherry filling:

1. Combine cherries (including the juice in the can) with sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan.  
2. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, for 1 full minute.
3. Remove mixture from heat and stir in almond extract. 
4. Distribute evenly among 4 mini pie plates or ramekins. 

To make the crumb topping:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and quick oats.  
3. Use a pastry blender to "cut in" the cold butter until the butter pieces are about the size of peas.
4. Use your hands to squeeze some of the crumb mixture into large clumps.
5. Distribute crumb topping evenly over the pie plates.  
6. Place the mini pie plates on a sheet pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden brown.