Treat your family to a refreshing and fruity dessert any time of year!
Calling all moms who want to provide a delicious yet amazingly easy dessert for their families. If that’s you, keep reading. Even if that’s not you, I promise you will want to learn more about why I think this berry crisp recipe is one to add to your dessert rotation.
First and foremost, don’t let the total time fool you. It takes only 10 minutes to prepare this tasty beauty. The rest of the time is spent with the crisp in the oven or cooling off. And, to avoid having to rinse your fresh berries, you can also use frozen berries to make a crisp, as we do here—they don’t even need to be thawed. Just pour them straight from the freezer into a bowl and add the other filling ingredients.
Another thing that I love about this recipe is that you can switch up the fruit with whatever is in season or what you have on hand. I love to combine apples, peaches, or pears with berries. Simply cut them into small pieces and mix with your other filling ingredients. Cherries, apricots, nectarines, plums, and rhubarb are other great additions to crisps.
If you’re wondering about the difference between crisps and crumbles, it’s really quite simple. Crisps usually include oats and/or nuts, which give the topping the perfect crispy texture. Crumbles have a streusel-like topping consisting of flour, sugar, and butter, for a crumbly, less crunchy texture.
Oh, and if you want to make this recipe gluten-free, as I do, simply substitute your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour and certified GF oats. I also use coconut sugar instead of light brown sugar and granulated sugar when I make this. Date sugar is also good, just a little less sweet, in my opinion.
Berry crisp for breakfast
I often make this berry crisp recipe for a nutritious breakfast. When doing so, I like to reduce the sweetness, so I will either cut down on the amount of sugar in the filling or just plop my berries into the baking dish without any sugar. You can also omit the flour, which will produce more liquid (and runnier) results. Made this way, I usually serve the crisp with a dollop or two of plain Greek yogurt. The juiciness of the fruit filling is perfect when spooned over the yogurt. The crisp topping adds a parfait-like feel to the whole bowl. I often add a tablespoon of almond butter—any nut or seed butter will work—and sprinkle on some shredded coconut, ground flax, or chia seeds. You can even add some sliced or chopped nuts, raisins, or dried cranberries. Your children might think they’re having dessert for breakfast, but you’ll feel good knowing they are getting plenty of wholesome foods in a bowl, thanks to the yogurt, fruit, and oats.
How do I store leftovers?
Allow leftovers to cool to room temperature, then cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. You can also transfer it to an airtight container, but do so carefully to keep the topping on top. Otherwise, if mixed into the berries, the topping will become soggy. It still tastes great, though! You can also freeze the crisp by wrapping it tightly in a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze it for up to 3 months, defrosting overnight in the fridge. Reheat it in a 350°F oven for 15 to 25 minutes, until warmed throughout.
Serving suggestions
This berry crisp recipe is an ideal dessert to enjoy after any meal. It is equally good after this Crock-Pot Chili Recipe or Tomato-Beef Stew, as it is following a lighter dinner of Salmon And Asparagus or Shrimp Pasta Salad. If you really want to take dessert over the top, add a scoop of this Blueberry Ice Cream Recipe for ultimate berry goodness.
Berry Crisp Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour for topping
- 1 pinch salt
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cubed
- 6 cups mixed berries such as blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar for filling
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour for filling
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture is crumbly.
- In a separate bowl, gently toss the mixed berries with vanilla extract, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Spread the berry mixture in a greased baking dish and sprinkle the topping evenly over it.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes until the topping turns golden and the filling bubbles. Tent with foil halfway through baking if the topping browns too quickly.
- Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired.
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