Fruit Crisp

Fruit crisp is one of our go-to desserts. We almost always have fruit on hand: seasonal fresh fruit or freezer berries, peaches and cherries from our fruit trees and shrubs. It's a fast dessert that is always satisfying (and never fails to remind me of my grandmothers).

The topping for this crisp bakes up crunchy - a nice foil to the fruit filling. With the addition of whole grain flour, it's a dessert I feel good about eating (even occasionally for breakfast). If you like lots of topping, load up your crisp. I usually use a portion on the recipe and place the rest in the freezer. With both fruit and crumb topping stashed in the freezer I can assemble dessert in just a few minutes.

I serve this crisp warm from the oven topped with whipped cream, ice cream or yogurt. Feel free to alter the sugar in the filling based on your tastes and the sweetness of the fruit. Also, if berries are juicy, you might want to add additional flour to thicken the filling.

This recipe works with a variety of fruit. I used our
freezer blackberries. A taste of summer in the winter!

Combine flours, sugar and salt.

Mix in melted butter until crumbly.

Add nuts of your choice (or omit). I like pecans
but also use almonds, walnuts and hicans.

Mix thoroughly.

Sprinkle lemon zest and juice over fruit.

Gently toss with sugar, flour and salt.

Place fruit in a 9 inch pie plate. Cover with topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until
fruit is bubbling. Let cool slightly before serving.

Serve with ice cream (optional). Warm, fruity and crunchy!

Fruit Crisp
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Serves 10

Topping
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
10 Tbsp butter, melted
1 cup nuts, chopped

Filling
4 generous cups berries or chopped apples or peaches
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Grease a 9-inch pie plate. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare topping by combining all topping ingredients. Set aside.

Prepare filling: Toss fruit with zest and juice. Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup all purpose flour, and 1/4 tsp salt. Toss to combine. Pour into prepared pie plate. Sprinkle topping over fruit. Bake crisp for 45-50 minutes until filling bubbles. Cool slightly. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or yogurt.