Easy Choose-Your-Fruit Crisp Recipe

Cobblers and crisps make for some of the easiest - and tastiest - desserts made from summer and fall fruits. What's the difference between the two? Cobblers (sometimes called "spoon pies") have biscuit dough dropped in balls or lumps on top of the fruit filling. The end result is soft and sometimes chewy. Crisps (sometimes called "crumbles"), are topped with streusel - usually a mixture of oats, spices, sugar, and sometimes nuts. The resulting dessert has more texture and crunchiness than a cobbler. In both cases, raw fruit mixed with sugar and sometimes spices is used as filling.

One of the great things about cobblers and crisps is they are quick to prepare with either fresh or frozen fruit. And once you have a basic recipe, you can change the filling fruit as desired. In other words, the recipe you use for pear cobbler can also be used for peach cobbler, blueberry cobbler, apple cobbler, and so on.

In our household, we prefer crisps, so I'm going to share my basic crisp recipe with you. Delicious!

Easy Choose-Your-Fruit Crisp Recipe

6 cups fresh or frozen fruit slices (peeled, pitted, or cored, as appropriate)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup unbleached flour or whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup unbleached flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup rolled oatmeal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces, plus extra butter for preparing the pan
ice cream or whipped cream (optional)





1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Butter an 8 x 8 in. baking pan and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, toss the fruit slices with 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, and lemon juice.


4. Place fruit mixture in the prepared baking dish and set aside.

5. Combine 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup brown sugar, oatmeal, and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix well.

6. Add cold butter pieces and, with your hands, mix into the oatmeal mixture until the butter is well incorporated. The mixture should not be dry.

7. Spread the oatmeal topping evenly over the fruit and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until fruit juices are bubbling through and the topping is browned.

8. Remove from oven and cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.