Desserts

August 4, 2021

Seasonal Fruit Crisp

My family loves fruit crisps. They were a regular in the rotation of desserts at my grandparents' house, because every dinner had to end with dessert. There were a lot of crisps, cobblers, and pies because there was always seasonal fruit available at my grandparents home. I grew up helping to harvest, preserve, can, and freeze all sorts of berries, cherries, apples, peaches, and pears that we are so lucky to have in abundance here in the Pacific Northwest. Many of those fruits often found their ways into dessert all year round.

When I created this recipe, I wanted it to highlight the fruit, and use a little less butter and sugar than traditional crisp recipes. The result is a lightly sweetened, crumbly version of crisp that is quick and versatile. The type of fruit you use for the filling can change based on what you have, what's in season, or what sounds good. The rest of the ingredients stay the same. I've made this recipe using blackberries, cherries, apples, and plums, all with equally delicious results.

But you can also play around with the spices in the topping and the filling, too. Any combination of warm spices pairs well with fruit; cinnamon is a reliable choice, but experiment with ground ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, or allspice. My absolute favorite is a blend called "Cake Spice" from Penzeys, which is my dream blend of cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves. (This is not a paid endorsement, just a product I love and use often!)

You can also change up how you bake and serve this crisp. I found these adorable single-serving ramekins at a garage sale, and they make the perfect dish for a serving of crisp and a scoop of ice cream. But if you don't have ramekins, you can easily make this crisp in an 8x8" square baking dish, and just add a few more minutes to the baking time. No matter how you make it, just make sure you serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for the complete experience.

Ingredients staged for Seasonal Fruit Crisp and white ramekins on a baking sheet
Prepare your fruit filling and your topping.

Seasonal Fruit Crisp in white ramekins on a baking sheet
Place filling in baking dish, and add topping.

Seasonal Fruit Crisp prepared in square baking dish setting on towel with red apple
This fruit crisp can be prepared in a square 8x8" baking dish or individual ramekins.



Original publication date: September 17, 2020

Seasonal Fruit Crisp

A simple, versatile crisp recipe to use any fruit in season.

Author:

Kira Freed - The Joyful Plateful

Prep:

10

min

cook:

45

min

total:

55

min

Ingredients

Topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon (or combination of warm spices)

1/4 cup butter, softened (half a stick)


Filling:

5-6 cups of prepared fruit (defrosted if using from frozen, sliced/diced as appropriate)

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. brown sugar, heaping

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, heaping

1/2 tsp. cinnamon (or combination of warm spices)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 8x8" square baking dish or 8 small ramekins, and set aside.
  2. Prepare your fruit filling. Toss prepared fruit of your choice in a large bowl with remaining filling ingredients. Note: Berries and cherries can be use whole, but I recommend defrosting them if using them from frozen. Apples, pears, plums, peaches, or other larger fruits should be diced or sliced into bite-sized pieces.
  3. Prepare your topping. Combine all ingredients in medium-sized bowl, and use a fork or pastry cutter to blend butter and dry ingredients into a crumbly mixture that resembles sand.
  4. Pour your fruit filling in your baking dish(es) of choice. Sprinkle your crumb topping evenly over the fruit mixture.
  5. Place your fruit crisp in the oven, and bake for 40-45 minutes for an 8x8" square dish, or 30-35 minutes for individual ramekins.
  6. Once done, remove from oven and let cool. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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