Easy 3 Ingredient Snickerdoodle Cherry Crisp

3-Ingredient Snickerdoodle Cherry Crisp is an easy shortcut dessert made with cherry pie filling, cookie mix, and melted butter. The buttery cinnamon-sugar topping bakes up golden over the warm, bubbling cherries for a dessert that tastes even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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I love fruit desserts, but I do not always have time to make a homemade filling and crisp topping. This recipe gives me all those warm, comforting flavors with only five minutes of prep work.

It is a fun cherry variation of my Snickerdoodle Apple Crisp and Snickerdoodle Peach Crisp, and it is just as easy to make. I can put it together quickly for a family dinner, holiday gathering, or any time I need a simple dessert that serves a crowd.

Why I Love This Easy Cherry Crisp Recipe

• Only three ingredients: Cherry pie filling, snickerdoodle cookie mix, and butter are all you need.
• Quick preparation: It takes about five minutes to assemble before it goes into the oven.
• Shortcut-friendly: Canned pie filling and packaged cookie mix do most of the work.
• Plenty of texture: The topping is buttery and soft over the cherries with lightly crisp, cinnamon-sugar edges.
• Feeds a crowd: One 9×13-inch pan makes 12 servings, so it is a great choice for potlucks and family gatherings.
• Easy to customize: You can add extra cinnamon or chopped pecans without changing the basic recipe.

Ingredients for Snickerdoodle Cherry Crisp

You only need three simple ingredients to make this easy cherry dessert.

• Cherry pie filling: Two cans provide the sweet cherry layer and plenty of sauce to keep the dessert moist. You can use your favorite brand of regular or dark sweet cherry pie filling.
• Snickerdoodle cookie mix: A package of dry snickerdoodle cookie mix creates the buttery cobbler-style topping. Set aside the enclosed cinnamon-sugar packet because it will be sprinkled over the top separately.
• Butter: Melted butter brings the dry cookie mix together into soft crumbs. Either salted or unsalted butter will work, although salted butter adds a little contrast to the sweet filling and topping.

How to Make Snickerdoodle Cherry Crisp

This dessert is assembled directly in a 9×13-inch baking dish, so the preparation is quick and cleanup is easy.

Cool briefly: Let the crisp cool for about 10 minutes before serving. The filling will be extremely hot when it first comes out of the oven.

Prepare the oven and pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Add the cherry filling: Spread both cans of cherry pie filling evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Make the topping: Combine the dry snickerdoodle cookie mix and melted butter in a medium bowl. Stir until the mixture is evenly moistened and crumbly.

Add the topping: Sprinkle the cookie mixture evenly over the cherry pie filling. It does not need to be pressed down.

Finish with cinnamon sugar: Sprinkle the reserved cinnamon-sugar packet evenly over the cookie topping.

Bake: Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the cherry filling is bubbling around the edges.

Pro Tips for the Best Cherry Crisp

Spread the cherry pie filling all the way to the corners so every serving has plenty of cherries.

Mix the melted butter into the cookie mix until no large pockets of completely dry mix remain. The topping should look crumbly rather than like smooth cookie dough.

Sprinkle the topping instead of packing it down. Leaving it loose helps create those delicious golden, crisp edges.

Watch for bubbling filling around the edges of the pan. That is one of the best signs that the dessert is heated through.

If the topping is browning too quickly, loosely cover the baking dish with aluminum foil during the final few minutes.

Allow the dessert to rest for at least 10 minutes. This gives the hot cherry filling a little time to settle and makes the crisp easier to serve.

Serving Suggestions

I think this Snickerdoodle Cherry Crisp is best served warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. The cold ice cream melts into the cinnamon-sugar topping and warm cherry filling, making a simple dessert feel extra special.

You can also serve it with whipped cream or a light dusting of powdered sugar. For a holiday dessert, add a few chocolate curls or sliced almonds over each serving.

Variations

Add chocolate: Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the cherry filling before adding the topping for a chocolate-covered-cherry variation.

Add more cinnamon: Stir ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon into the dry cookie mix before adding the butter.

Add pecans: Sprinkle chopped pecans over the topping for extra crunch and a nutty flavor.

Add almond flavor: Stir a small amount of almond extract into the cherry pie filling. Almond is strong, so a little goes a long way.

Try another filling: Use apple, peach, or blueberry pie filling to create another easy snickerdoodle fruit crisp.

Is This a Cherry Crisp, Cobbler, or Dump Cake?

This dessert does not have the traditional oat topping commonly found on a fruit crisp. Instead, the snickerdoodle cookie mixture forms a soft, buttery topping with crisp edges.

That means it could also be called a Snickerdoodle Cherry Cobbler or cherry dump cake with cookie mix. I call it a crisp because of the golden cookie topping, but all three names describe the same easy style of fruit dessert.

Storage and Reheating

Allow leftover cherry crisp to cool, then cover the baking dish or transfer the individual servings to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to four days.

Reheat an individual serving in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, adding more time if needed. Keep in mind that the cherry filling can become very hot.

For a crisper topping, place the baking dish in a 325°F oven until the dessert is warmed through.

Make-Ahead Instructions

You can bake this dessert earlier in the day and reheat it shortly before serving. Cover and refrigerate it once it has cooled, then warm it in the oven at 325°F.

For the best topping texture, I do not recommend assembling the unbaked crisp too far in advance. The cherry filling can begin soaking into the cookie mixture while it sits. Since assembly only takes about five minutes, it is best to put it together shortly before baking.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Easy Fruit Desserts

If you love the sweet cherry filling and buttery cookie topping in this recipe, try one of these easy fruit desserts next. Each one uses simple ingredients to make a warm, crowd-pleasing treat without much prep work.