Homemade Fruit Crisp

A Simple Dessert Featuring Spring Fruit

May 3, 2006

Spring fruits lend themselves naturally to homemade fruit crisps. Find out how to make this simple but delicious dessert.

When you were a child, do you remember some of the home-baked desserts that grandmother made? Sweet pies, scrumptious cookies and elegant cakes and cobblers may bring to mind fond childhood memories, but do you have any memories of fruit crisps? A classic comfort food, fruit crisps allow fresh berries and fruits to meld their unique flavors together with a crisp topping. Making a homemade fruit crisp couldn't be simpler; there's no dough to roll out or batter to rise. It's a time-saver when friends visit and when baking in the oven, it will greet your guests at the door with a fragrance that says "Welcome."

The recipe below is for a basic fruit crisp; for individual variations see the section "Tasty Tips for Fruit Crisps" for using specific fruits.

Fruit Crisp

5 cups sliced, peeled apples, pears, peaches, apricots or other fruit (see suggestions below)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the peeled, sliced fruit in an ungreased 2-quart square baking dish. Sprinkle the fruit with the granulated sugar.

For the crisp topping, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped walnuts (if using). Sprinkle the topping over the fruit in the baking dish.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is lightly browned. Serve warm from the oven or at room temperature with ice cream or frozen yogurt if desired.

Tasty Tips for Fruit Crisps

Blueberry Crisp Prepare the crisp according to the recipe above, except increase the granulated sugar to 1/4 cup and combine the sugar with 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Toss with 5 cups of fresh blueberries.

Cherry Crisp Prepare the crisp according to the recipe above, except increase the granulated sugar to 1/2 cup and combine the sugar with 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Toss the sugar and flour mixture with 5 cups of fresh pitted tart red cherries.

Rhubarb Crisp Prepare the crisp according to the recipe above, except increase the granulated sugar to 3/4 cup (or more if the rhubarb you are using is too tart) and combine with 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Toss the sugar and flour mixture with 5 cups of fresh sliced rhubarb.

More Recipes

Visit Seasonal Cooking here in the Food & Drink community for more recipes on cooking with some of spring's finest fruits.

The copyright of the article Homemade Fruit Crisp in Dessert Recipes is owned by Michael Vyskocil. Permission to republish Homemade Fruit Crisp in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.