Growing up in my family, dessert after dinner was a special treat we had on weekends – and, for most people, dessert is at least a weekly feature. For some, the evening meal doesn’t feel complete without something sweet.
The trouble with this though, is that dessert tends to be on the sugary side and sit high on the glycaemic index (GI) scale. And high GI/sugary foods can trigger a stress hormone – cortisol – in the body. This isn’t good for a lot of reasons, but is terrible when it comes bedtime.
The provocation of cortisol production has many deleterious effects, but when it comes to sleep specifically – it may prevent you from falling asleep at a reasonable time. This is because cortisol works in opposition to melatonin – and, as they’re the two main chemical regulators of the sleep-wake cycle, elevated cortisol later in the day will suppress melatonin and disturb sleep patterns.
So what if you want dessert, but don’t want it to mess with your beauty sleep?! I’m glad you asked – because I created this low GI, melatonin-containing, delicious delight for exactly this occasion!
Why the sour cherries?
Sour cherries have been show to actually help with sleep. So how does a humble little stone fruit do that? Well, several small studies have found that:
- sour cherries are a natural source of melatonin (our go-to-sleep neurotransmitter)
- consuming sour cherries results in
- significantly increased melatonin levels in body
- significant reductions in insomnia severity (minutes awake after sleep onset)
- significantly increased time in bed, total sleep time and sleep efficiency (one study found the average increase in sleep was 39 minutes more than those on placebo, another one found the increase to be 84 minutes!)
- a reduction in brain inflammation (which inhibits sleep) e.g. the serum kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio decreased, as did the level of prostaglandin E2
Pretty impressive huh?! By the way, pistachios also contain melatonin which is why I’ve included them in this recipe too… #sweetdreams
Let’s get to the recipe already!
Cherry Filling Ingredients
- 4-5 cups sour cherries*, pitted (in a pinch you can also use 4 cans of regular tinned cherries, drained, as these are low GI) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 and a half tablespoons fresh lemon juice⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1/4 cup Natvia (or more if you’re using sour cherries and you’d like it a bit sweeter)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1/2 teaspoon salt⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Crumble Ingredients
- 100g butter (chilled and cut into small cubes)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 cup almond meal ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 cup shredded coconut ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1/2 cup chopped pumpkin seeds or pistachios (optional)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1 tsp of cinnamon ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- 1/4 cup Natvia⠀⠀⠀
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Cherry Filling
- Combine the sour cherries, cornstarch, 1/4 cup Natvia, salt, vanilla, and lemon juice in a large saucepan over medium-high heat⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- Simmer, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken – approximately 5-6 minutes⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- Reduce heat to low and cook for another 2 minutes before removing from the heat⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cool to room temperature⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Crumble
- Mix the almond meal, shredded coconut and 1/4 cup Natvia in a bowl and then add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- Gently mix though any extras, such as the pistachios⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- In a pie dish, using a spatula, scrape the cherry filling into the dish and spread it evenly across the bottom⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- Spread the crumble mixture on top and bake for 20-30 minutes (until the crumble topping is golden brown)⠀⠀
Serving Tip: This recipe is great on it’s own, but also tastes wonderful with a drizzle of cream, or coconut milk. The cherry mixture could also be used in a gluten-free pastry pie!
References:
- Howatson G, Bell PG, Tallent J, Middleton B, McHugh MP, Ellis J. Effect of tart cherry juice (Prunus cerasus) on melatonin levels and enhanced sleep quality. Eur J Nutr. 2012 Dec;51(8):909-16. doi: 10.1007/s00394-011-0263-7. Epub 2011 Oct 30. PMID: 22038497.
- Losso JN, Finley JW, Karki N, Liu AG, Prudente A, Tipton R, Yu Y, Greenway FL. Pilot Study of the Tart Cherry Juice for the Treatment of Insomnia and Investigation of Mechanisms. Am J Ther. 2018 Mar/Apr;25(2):e194-e201. doi: 10.1097/MJT.0000000000000584. PMID: 28901958; PMCID: PMC5617749.
- Pigeon WR, Carr M, Gorman C, Perlis ML. Effects of a tart cherry juice beverage on the sleep of older adults with insomnia: a pilot study. J Med Food. 2010 Jun;13(3):579-83. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2009.0096. PMID: 20438325; PMCID: PMC3133468.
- Meng, W. et al. Dietary Sources and Bioactivities of Melatonin. Nutrients, 2017
- DiNicolantonio JJ, Mehta V, Onkaramurthy N, O’Keefe JH. Fructose-induced inflammation and increased cortisol: A new mechanism for how sugar induces visceral adiposity. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2018 May-Jun;61(1):3-9. doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2017.12.001. Epub 2017 Dec 8. PMID: 29225114.
- Al-Dujaili EAS, Ashmore S, Tsang C. A Short Study Exploring the Effect of the Glycaemic Index of the Diet on Energy intake and Salivary Steroid Hormones. Nutrients. 2019 Jan 24;11(2):260. doi: 10.3390/nu11020260. PMID: 30682835; PMCID: PMC6413178.
- Minnetti M, et al. Fixing the Broken Clock in Adrenal Disorders: Focus on Glucocorticoids and Chronotherapy. J Endocrinol. 2020;246:R13–31.
