My ultimate fantasy is to be able to cook whatever I want without ever having to think about recipes at all.  That’s why crisps and crumbles appeal to me so much.  You really don’t even technically have to measure out your ingredients, and once you’ve made a few you can just do it by eye.  Small variations in the mix don’t matter too much, they all come out good. 

I threw these mini crumbles together in small, wide mouth mason jars.  You can even make them ahead and bake them when you need them. It makes for great portion control, and the cuteness factor counts for something, too.

Any summer fruit will work in these jars, just be sure to chop up the fruit in small pieces so it will fit in properly.  I don’t add anything to the fruit but a squeeze of lemon juice, a little cornstarch (for a hint of thickening) and almond extract.

And here’s the perfect topping—mason jar whipped cream—just fill a
pint sized jar halfway with heavy cream, screw the cap on tightly, and
shake for 5 minutes.  You’ll know when it’s done because the ‘sloshing’
noise will stop.

Uncap and enjoy!   I like my whipped cream
plain., but you can add a bit of sugar and vanilla to the cream
in the beginning if you like.

The crumbles bake for about 25 minutes until they’re golden on top and you can see the cherry filling bubbling away down below. 

Mason Jar Cherry Crumbles
makes 4 jars
oven to 350F
1 lb cherries
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp almond extract
4 Tbsp old fashioned oats
8 Tbsp flour
4 Tbsp packed brown sugar
4 Tbsp sliced almonds
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
pinch of salt

• Pit the cherries and chop them up into quarters.  Put them in a bowl and add the lemon juice, cornstarch and almond extract.  Stir to combine and set aside.
• Make the crumble topping:  Put the oats, flour, sugar and almonds in a small bowl.  Add the chilled butter and mix together using your fingertips.  You want to incorporate the butter and create a nice chunky crumbly texture.  Keep mixing until no more dry flour is evident, and the butter has been thoroughly mixed in.
• Spoon the cherries evenly into 4 wide mouth 8 oz mason jars.  Sprinkle the topping over each one.  Mound the topping over the cherries, it will shrink down as they bake.
• Set the jars on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until the topping is golden and the cherry filling is bubbling away.
• Let the jars cool briefly before serving because they will be hot.
• Serve with whipped cream.

For the Mason Jar Whipped Cream:
fill a pint sized mason jar half full with cold heavy cream.
Add a Tbsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp of flavoring if you want.
Cap the jar tightly and shake for 5 minutes, or until you hear the ‘sloshing’ sound stop.

I made this recipe easily divisible so you can even make one jar at a time, if you want.
Multiply it for a crowd.

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