This old-fashioned blackberry crisp is full of sweet juicy fruit and has a buttery crisp topping which is so delicious! You can also use any of your favorite berries in exchange for blackberries. Think of it as an all-purpose, any berry absolutely best-ever fruit crisp!
What is better on a warm summer evening than a sweet berry crisp on a summer evening? It’s just sweet enough, filled with fresh ripe berries and a crunchy oat crumble topping. Even better: you can make it with fresh or frozen berries!
Blackberries are one of my favorite berries and it takes me right back to my childhood. When we were growing up honestly we could not afford to buy a lot of fresh fruit. My family lived on a very tight budget and we did not have the luxury of fresh fruit from the supermarket. But we did have another luxury with regard to fresh fruit – my grandfather, Julius Griffith.
My grandfather, Julius Matthew Griffith, was one of the hardest working man I have ever know. He was a native of Bamberg, South Carolina, and a Peninsula, Virginia resident over 40 years. He retired as a supervisor of Parks and Recreation for the City of Newport News in 1981 after 20 years of service. He was also a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. My grandfather grew up on a farm so gardening was his specialty. My grandparents has the cutest little house (filled with love) on a small piece of land. Every year my grandparents would plant a garden full of corn, lima beans, tomatoes, potatoes, peanuts (oh he made the best boiled peanuts), and all sorts of beans. But my favorite thing he grew was fruit. He had peach trees, apples trees, grapes and of course, blackberries.
I remember as a child standing in full joy at the blackberry bush shoving big handful of berries into my mouth with purple juice running all down my arms and all over my clothes. Can I just say there is nothing better than a fresh ripe piece of fruit right off a bush or a tree. I have so many memories of running around barefoot in my grandparents yard eating berries and peaches, picking beans, and shucking corn. Those are some of my best memories as a child. And also one that I try to pass on to my grandchildren. It is not always about the theme parks, driving ranges, movies and roller coasters. Sometimes it is about sitting in the backyard cutting into a perfect watermelon and laughing about my grandfather telling us girls “if we ate the seeds of the watermelon we would have a baby”. I know crazy right, but I can tell you me and my sister tried to spit out every seed we could.
I am sure that upbringing is the cause of my love for a farmer’s market. I just love going to a farmer’s market and figuring out what is in season and what recipe can I fix with the fresh ingredients I have purchased. Now that I live in North Carolina I have access to (I believe) one of the best farmer’s market around. So when I went to the market this weekend and found that blackberries were in season, I knew right away that blackberry crisp would be on the menu. Well that is if I can get it made before all the berries are eaten by my grandbabies. I can tell you the race was on to fix the crisp before they were all eaten.
So my suggestion for you is to take the time to go to your local farmer’s market or roadside stand and buy whatever fruit in season and make whatever crisp your heart desires. Enjoy!!!!
Best Ever Blackberry Crisp
Course: DessertCuisine: SouthernDifficulty: Easy10
servings20
minutes45
minutes15
minutesThis amazing blackberry crisp loaded with juicy fruit and a buttery crisp topping is so simple to make and so delicious!
Ingredients
- Streusel Topping
1 1/2 cups of old-fashioned oats
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
- Fruit Layer:
8 cups fresh blackberries, washed and dried well
1/2 cup of sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar and salt.
- Add the butter and cut the butter into the dry ingredients with two forks or a pastry cutter until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
- In another bowl, add the blackberries, sugar, flour, cornstarch and lemon juice and stir until combined.
- Spread the fruit mixture into the casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the top of fruit.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the fruit is bubbly and the streusel topping is golden brown.
- Remove crisp from the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before serving as the fruit layer will thicken as it cools. You can either serve the crisp warm or at room temperature. My family loves this crisp served with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- Fruit: I have not tried this with frozen fruit, but if you want to try it, I would suggest that you don’t thaw the fruit before using and possibly increase the flour to 1/2 cup.Â
- Bake time varies based on your oven, baking dish, and berries! Simply bake until golden brown. The bake time can be different every time depending on your oven. If it’s not golden, keep going! You’re looking for that golden hue. If the oats look pale, keep going.
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