This Dark Cherry Crisp has a sweet, dark cherry filling that is baked until thick and bubbling and topped with a crispy, buttery topping.
In a large bowl, stir together flour, light brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
Add the butter pieces and the oats and work in the butter using your fingers until dough is well blended and forms small clumps. Do not overmix. Refrigerate until ready to use.
(Optional step) At this point, I placed about 1/4 of the topping into a separate small bowl to be used as an ice cream topping at serving time. This is optional, but if you would like to do it, just spread it onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake it at 375 degrees until golden brown. Mine took about 15 minutes, but this can vary slightly. Let it cool and set aside until ready to use.
Lightly butter an 11 x 7 inch (or similar size) rectangular baking dish. Set aside.
Bring cherries, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, apple juice, lemon juice, and ginger to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Once bubbling slightly, simmer for 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water until dissolved. Stir cornstarch blend into cherry mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Pour cherry filling into prepared baking dish and allow to cool for 15 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat oven to 375 and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place baking dish onto foil-lined baking sheet. Crumble the chilled topping over the cherry mixture. Bake until topping is golden brown and crunchy and cherry filling is bubbling, about 45-50 minutes. Allow to cool on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream on top.