Fresh Summertime Blackberry Crisp

Is it summer yet?

Don’t get me wrong–I’m a fall and winter girl. I love cozy blankets and thick socks and hearty stews and snow days. But given the current situation (late March, rainy, 40 degrees, and stuck inside due to a pandemic), I’m starting to seriously dream about summer.

Luckily, blackberries were on sale for $0.88 a package at my grocery store this week. Enter fresh summertime blackberry crisp: sweet, jammy blackberries sandwiched between two (yes, two) layers of golden, buttery crisp. Winter blues + discounted berries = happiness!

Side note about saving money on groceries

(Because saving money on food is my favorite thing to talk about.)

One way I keep my grocery bill low is to plan my shopping list based on what’s currently available at a good price. (This strategy is cousin to the all-mighty never go to the grocery store without a shopping list.) I check the store ad online before shopping and then plan my meals around the items that are marked down. This requires a bit of organization but actually makes my life easier–rather than sorting through the infinite collection of recipes on Pinterest to figure out what I want to eat for the week, I only have to think about recipes that include the particular items that are on sale. This week, it was blackberries.

Usually, this means I buy a lot of seasonal produce (in other words, I don’t eat a lot of summer berries in the winter). But for some reason, blackberries were on the sale this week, and I’m not complaining about it. I made blackberry baked oatmeal for breakfast and this glorious blackberry crisp for dessert.

How to make fresh blackberry crisp

If you ask me, fruit crisp is all about the crisp, so I make enough crisp mixture to have a top layer and a bottom layer. The bottom layer gets extra crispy and caramelized, while the top layer stays more buttery and soft.

Fruit crisp is super quick to make, versatile, and fairly foolproof. You can use fresh or frozen berries, or you can substitute with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples, peaches, pears, or whatever other fruit you have on hand.

Okay, here we go. Brown sugar, oats, flour, baking powder, salt, and cold butter for the crisp. Cut the butter into the dry mixture with a pastry cutter, or use your fingers if you don’t have one.

Mix your berries with some brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.

Then sandwich the berry mixture in between the two layers of crisp, pop it in the oven, and voila! I present you . . . summertime in a dish.

Print Recipe

Fresh Summertime Blackberry Crisp

This blackberry crisp recipe sandwiches sweet, gooey berries in between TWO layers of delicious, buttery crisp. Yum!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Blackberries, Blackberry Crisp, Fresh Fruit, Fruit Crisp, Quick and Easy, Summer

Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

• 2 mixing bowls
• Pastry cutter
• 8-inch round or square baking pan

Ingredients

For the crisp:

• ⅔ cup quick oats
• ⅔ cup brown sugar
• ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes

For the blackberry filling:

• 16 oz fresh or frozen blackberries
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

• Wash blackberries (if using fresh) and set on a towel to dry. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease an 8-inch round or square baking pan with a spat of butter.
• Whisk together the dry crisp ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then cut in cold butter cubes with a pastry cutter. (If you don't have a pastry cutter, rub the butter and the dry ingredients in between your fingers to incorporate the mixture). Continue until the butter chunks are a little smaller than raisins and are incorporated throughout. The mixture will be crumbly. Set aside.
• In another bowl, combine blackberries with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Then stir in the lemon juice.
• Press about a third of the crisp mixture into a 1/2-inch layer in the bottom of the baking pan. Top the bottom crisp layer with the blackberries. Then spread the remaining crisp mixture on top of the blackberries.
• Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

• You can substitute the blackberries with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, or any other fruit you have on hand.
• This recipe fits a small, 8-inch baking dish. If you’re using a 9×13 pan (or equivalent), double the recipe.