Tart Cherry Crisp with Panko-Pistachio Topping

I just returned home from a lovely week in Northern Michigan. My family visits the Traverse City area every year, and one of our favorite activities is cherry picking. We always seem to be overly ambitious with our picking, and this year we came back with around 50 pounds of cherries. We picked a combination of dark sweet cherries and tart cherries, specifically Balatons.

I have been very eager to start baking with the tart cherries. The first thing I made was cherry crisp! It just screams summer comfort. The warm, jammy fruit. The golden, buttery topping. The contrast of tart and sweet in every bite. And while there are many versions of this classic dessert, this tart cherry crisp with a panko-pistachio topping has become a staple in my kitchen—for its texture, flavor, and the way it makes the whole house smell like something magical is about to come out of the oven.

Let’s Talk Cherries

There are so many varieties of both sweet and sour cherries out there. Montmorency, Balaton, Morello, Rainier, Bing—each brings its own nuance. But this recipe is written specifically for tart cherries, which offer a bright, tangy flavor that balances beautifully with the sweet crumble topping. You can absolutely use frozen tart cherries if that’s what you have—just make sure to thaw them fully and drain off any excess juice before starting the recipe.

Why We Macerate

The first step in the recipe is to macerate the cherries, which is just a fancy way of saying I toss them with sugar, cornstarch, and a splash of almond extract and let them sit for a bit—at least 10 minutes, or up to an hour. This step draws out the natural juices in the cherries and creates a luscious syrup that enhances the flavor and softens the fruit. 

A Note on Thickening

No one wants a cherry crisp that’s more like cherry soup. To keep the filling from being too runny, I use cornstarch as a thickener. One tip: mix the cornstarch with the sugar before adding it to the fruit. This helps prevent any clumping. And here’s the important part: for cornstarch to do its job, the filling needs to bubble in the oven and reach around 203 degrees Fahrenheit. So don’t pull it out too soon! If the topping starts to get too dark before the filling is cooked all the way, tent the crisp with aluminum foil.

The Crisp Secret: Cold Butter

The topping starts with cold butter. Why cold? Because when small pieces of butter melt during baking, they create steam, which gives you that dreamy crisp and crumbly texture. If the butter is too soft, it just melts into the topping and leaves you with a greasy topping instead of a crisp one.

Why Panko?

Now for the fun twist: panko breadcrumbs. Unlike flour traditional breadcrumbs, panko stays light and crunchy even after baking. It resists sogginess better than flour-based toppings, adding a texture that holds up beautifully against the juicy fruit.

The Magic of Pistachios

To finish it off, I add chopped pistachios to the topping. They bring a sweet, buttery, and slightly earthy flavor that plays perfectly with the tart cherries, plus they add extra crunch. Don’t love pistachios? Feel free to swap in your favorite nut—or leave them out altogether.

This cherry crisp is best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but my husband has been known to sneak a spoonful cold from the fridge the next morning, too. However you serve it, it’s one of those desserts that just feels like summer—no matter the season.

Tart Cherry Pistachio Crisp

Yield: 8–10 servings

Prep time: ABout 15 minutes

Bake time: About 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the filling

• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar 
• 4 tablespoons (32 grams) cornstarch 
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 cups (900 grams) pitted fresh or frozen tart cherries
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

For the topping

• 1 cup (80 grams) rolled oats 
• 1 cup (60 grams) panko bread crumbs 
• 3/4 cup (160 grams) brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) shelled, unsalted pistachios, chopped 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 Tablespoons (85 grams) cold unsalted butter, diced
• Optional: Sparkling sugar for added crunch

Directions

For the filling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch or 9-inch pie pan.
2. Mix together sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
3. Add cherries and almond extract and mix well to combine. Set aside to let cherries macerate while making topping.

For the topping

1. Combine oats, panko bread crumbs, brown sugar, pistachios, cardamom, cinnamon and salt.
2. Add butter and rub into dry mixture until combined and crumbly.
3. Sprinkle topping evenly over cherries. Sprinkle optional sparkling sugar on top.
4. Bake 45-50 minutes or until fruit is bubbling and topping is golden brown. Filling should register around 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Rest for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy room temperature or warm with vanilla ice cream.

Storage Instructions

• Room temperature: Cover and keep for 1 day.
• Refrigerator: Store covered for up to 4 days; re-crisp in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes.
• Freezer: Freeze unbaked crisp for up to 1 month; bake from frozen with 10–15 extra minutes.

S'mores Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

This is a sponsored post by Hudsonville, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Is there anything more nostalgic than a classic s’more? The toasted marshmallow, the melty chocolate, the graham cracker crunch—so many of my favorite summer memories involve this dessert. But when the temperatures rise and a campfire feels a little too ambitious, s’mores ice cream sandwiches are a cool way to satisfy the craving.

Dough much fun

Instead of cookies, I use edible graham cracker cookie dough as the base. Why? To start, it comes together quickly, and there's no baking required. Also, it’s softer than a cookie, so every bite is easy to enjoy (no squeezing ice cream out the sides). Plus, it channels all the graham flavor you expect in a s’more with the indulgent feel of cookie dough.

Regular cookie dough isn’t safe to consume raw because it contains uncooked flour and eggs. Both have the potential to cause food poisoning and bacterial infections like Salmonella. I did two things to ensure the cookie dough is safe to eat raw: I omitted the eggs, and I heat-treated the flour. The easiest way to heat treat flour is to put it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it in 30-second intervals until the temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. This should take about one to one and a half minutes.

Toasted marshmallow fluff

No s'more is complete without a toasted marshmallow, and that includes s'mores ice cream sandwiches. Instead of using whole marshmallows, I opted to use store-bought marshmallow creme, which makes for a more even layer than whole marshmallows. I lightly toasted the creme with a kitchen torch for that golden, campfire-kissed flavor. This part is crucial to the final flavor.

The star of the show: Hudsonville Ice Cream

Of course, the star of any ice cream sandwich is the ice cream. I used Hudsonville Ice Cream because it holds up beautifully between the dough layers, and the quality makes this dessert shine. Hudsonville is a family-owned Midwest company. They make their products with fresh milk and cream from local farms to ensure the ice cream is as creamy as possible.

So now the question is which flavor to use?

Classic Chocolate: Classic and lets the marshmallow and graham flavors shine

Brownie Batter Cookie Dough: Enjoy a textural contrast with brownie and cookie dough pieces 

Mackinac Island Fudge: Best of both worlds—vanilla with fudge pieces and a fudge swirl

Traverse City Cherry Fudge: Extra swirls of fudgy decadence with a cherry twist

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough: Cookie dough pieces sandwiched inside a cookie dough base? Say less.

The ultimate summer dessert

These s’mores cookie dough ice cream sandwiches are the perfect no-bake, make-ahead treat for everything from pool parties to backyard BBQs to laid-back weeknight treats. This recipe has "summer" written all over it.

Use this Scoop Locator tool to find Hudsonville Ice Cream near you. You can find them at Walmart, Meijer, Kroger, and Fresh Thyme stores in the Indianapolis area.

S'mores Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

Yield: Makes about 9 ice cream sandwiches

Time: About 20 minutes active time, 6-8 hours freezing time

Ingredients

• 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (75 grams) graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup (240 grams) cookie butter
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tablespoons (30 milliliters) milk (cow or nondairy)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 ounces marshmallow creme
• 1 1/2 pints (24 ounces) Hudsonville Ice Cream

Directions

1. Place flour in microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave in 30-second intervals until temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. This should take about 90 seconds. Mix with graham cracker crumbs. Set aside.
2. In large bowl, combine cookie butter, brown sugar, butter, milk, vanilla extract, and salt.
3. Slowly stir in flour/graham cracker crumbs and mix until smooth.
4. Line 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Press half the dough into even layer on parchment paper.
5. Top dough with second layer of parchment paper and press remaining dough into even layer.
6. Move baking pan to freezer. Freeze dough for at least 1 hour.
7. Remove pan from freezer. Separate top layer of cookie dough from bottom.
8. Working quickly, spread marshmallow creme over cookie dough in the pan and toast with kitchen torch.
9. Spread Hudsonville Ice Cream over marshmallow and place remaining dough layer on top of ice cream.
10. Cover top of cookie dough with parchment paper and return to freezer. Freeze at least 6-8 hours, but preferably overnight.
11. When ready to serve, remove pan from freezer, run knife under hot water, wipe dry, and cut into equal squares.