Cherry Blackberry Crisp

posted on June 29, 2015

A simple fruit crisp is the little black dress of summer desserts. It’s always appropriate, can be transformed with a simple swap of accessories, and causes men to stutter. Most recently, this all-purpose treat strut its stuff as a Cherry Blackberry Crisp, baked in honor of my mom and step dad’s first visit to Milwaukee.

Clean Eating Cherry Blackberry Crisp made with wholesome oats, pecans, and maple syrup

To welcome my mom and Larry’s to town, Ben and I invited them to our home for a special dinner, with this Cherry Blackberry Crisp as the meal finale. It was both meaningful and surreal to host my mom, who has served me dinner thousands of times, at my very own table in our very first home. I felt quite grown up. (For the curious, our other menu items included Ina’s Herb Roasted Salmon and Tomato Gratin, along with simply roasted asparagus, an indulgent Wisconsin cheese plate, and Aperol spritz, a classic Italian cocktail.)

Lakefront Brewery Tour

Above: my mom, Larry, and I after our Lakefront Brewery tour. I’m smiling because I’m thinking about the leftover Cherry Blackberry Crisp I have waiting for me in the refrigerator at home.

Of all the desserts in my recipe archives, fruit crisps are the ones that I make most often at home. I’ve played around with dozens of different topping recipes, ranging from ones that taste like oatmeal cookies to those I double-layer on both the bottom of the top of the crisp, but the one I used for today’s Cherry Blackberry Crisp—the simplest of them all—is the one I return to over and over again. The ingredients are wholesome and natural, and the only difficult aspect of preparing it is preventing myself from stuffing the entire crisp topping mixture into my mouth before it’s baked.

Cherry Blackberry Crisp

This emperor of all crisp toppings is a mix of oats, almond meal, unsweetened coconut, light olive oil, maple syrup, and pecans. Depending upon the type of fruit I’m using, I might choose honey instead of maple syrup or swap walnuts for the pecans, but the basic formula remains unchanged, because it is sublime. The oats become lightly crisp and toasty, the pecans add chunky texture, and the coconut provides a subtle, almost imperceptible background note that makes any fruit crisp positively addictive. The wonderful idea to add almond meal (which is a fancy way of saying ground-up almonds) came from Lindsay. It adds a deep, nutty richness that is so utterly satisfying, I can no longer imagine a perfect fruit crisp without it.

This is the most addictive crisp topping and it's made of only natural ingredients like oats, pecans, and maple syrup! Try it with cherries, blackberries, or any fruit you love

I’ve baked this basic fruit crisp with roaring success using assorted combinations of blueberries, apples, peaches, pears, and even cranberries, and today’s cherry blackberry crisp combo is one of my favorites to date. The cherries are plump and demure, the blackberries tart and moody, and the overall effect of the two together strikes a zen-master balance of sassy and sweet.

Though the Cherry Blackberry Crisp is delightful on its own, as with all fruit crisps, it certainly isn’t hampered by a melting scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Healthy Cherry Blackberry Crisp made with wholesome oats, pecans, and maple syrup

Because this Cherry Blackberry Crisp is healthier than most, any leftovers can be peacefully enjoyed for breakfast with a dollop of yogurt. I like mine warmed up a little with plain, non-fat Greek yogurt top, and I imagine that vanilla would be wonderful too.

Parting words: Be confident and use the big spoon in the below photo. It’s the right thing to do.

How to make perfect fruit crisp with any summer fruit, plus a recipe for Cherry Blackberry Crisp

BIG NEWS: Snap with me! I know I’m late to the Snap party, but I’m here and ready to showcase my awkward dance moves. I meant that figuratively. If you’d like to know if I also meant it literally, you’ll have to add WellPlated on Snap Chat.

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