Mixed-Berry Crisp
A crisp is a dessert made of fruit that is topped with a sweet, crumbly oat mixture and then baked. It makes a great addition to summer picnics and barbeques, but we love to eat it all year round. A crisp helps teach essential cooking skills such as measuring, mixing, and using the oven (which is an important skill for all baking).
In the fall, use apples or pears. Spring strawberries and rhubarb make a pink and delicious sweet-tart crumble. Come summer, you can use berries, peaches, cherries, plums, or other stone fruits. If fresh berries are in season, use them. If you don’t have fresh berries, that’s okay! Frozen berries are available all year round in the supermarket, and you don’t even have to thaw them before baking your crisp. Easy as pie — or crisp!
Once you master Mixed-Berry Crisp, try another great fruity dessert: a Fruit Tart, which is like an easy, open pie.
kitchen gear
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife (adult needed)
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon, for mixing
- Fork
- 8 x 8-inch baking pan or pie plate
- Heatproof spatula
- Oven mitt or pot holder
Ingredients
- 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
- 1⁄2 cup plus 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
- 1⁄4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
- 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or melted unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons real maple syrup
- 6 cups mixed berries
- 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour
Instructions
- Turn the oven on and heat it to 350 degrees.
- To make the crisp: Put the flour, oats, walnuts, and salt in the bowl and mix well.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and maple syrup, mixing with a fork as you go. Mix until crumbly.
- To make the filling: Put the berries and 1 tablespoon flour in the baking pan or pie plate and mix well. Top with the crisp mixture. Once the oven temperature has reached 350 degrees, put the pan in the oven and bake until the top is lightly browned and the berries are bubbling, 25-30 minutes. Serve hot, warm, at room temperature, or cold.