This Peach and Blueberry Fruit Crisp is a tasty match in an easy baked dessert. This crisp mixture recipe includes quick oats that adds extra crunch and texture with each bite. I make a batch of this crisp mixture and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. That way, I can make a fruit crisp with with any kind of berries, apples or stone fruits in a matter of minutes. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is the final flourish that will make your family and guests swoon.
Fruit Crisps Desserts are so easy and fool-proof to make, that anyone can make these! I’ve made a variety of fruit crisps over the years– from Strawberry-Rhubarb to Olallieberries. The sky is the limit! Best of all, fresh or frozen fruit will work just fine. Well, maybe apples are an exception.
Our relatively young peach tree yielded a generous crop of smallish peaches that were about half the size of commercially grown peaches. Next year, we’ll be sure to cull them in their early stages, so our tree will grown larger fruit. (We hope.) Oddly enough, the fruit wasn’t very juice and had a “mushy” texture. Not wanting to waste the peaches, baking them seemed a good solution to enjoy them. Fruit Crisp to the rescue!
Skinning peaches takes a little extra effort, as in one of my oldest recipes for a Peaches and Cream Pie. For this dessert, I skipped that step and it worked just fine.
NOTE: How to make the crisp mixture isn’t pictured within this post. Making it is so fast (I use my food processor). Sometimes, I make a batch of the crisp mixture and store it in an airtight container in our fridge. At times when I have a bounty of fresh berries or stone fruits, all I have to do is prepare the fruit filling and add the crisp mixture. So fast! So easy!
In fact, I no longer follow a recipe when it comes to making a fruit filling. 1/2 cup of sugar is a good starting point, to about four cups of fruit A thickener is an essential ingredient. Flour works. Cornstarch works. Finely ground tapioca works, too. My favorite thickener is Instant Clear Gel. I keep a jar of this ingredient in my pantry and use it to stabilize whipped cream, gravies and fruit pies. Love it!
Peaches and Blueberries are a lovely combination and adds a nice pop of color. Sugar, thickener, lemon juice and a splash of vanilla is evenly tossed and set aside for about 15 minutes.
Instead of using a 9×13 baking dish, a 8x8pan was just right for the two of us (not to be eaten all at once!) A little bit of baking spray, a layer of crisp mixture (gently pressed) and then… the fruit! There’s plenty of room to add more or less fruit. This recipe is pretty fool proof.
Adding small pats of butter is completely optional. (It adds a bit of richness, of course.) Cover the fruit with the remaining crisp mixture.
Bake the fruit crisp at 375F between 35-45 minutes. I know that the dessert is done when the fruit is bubbly and the topping is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature.
I need to give props to “I Am Baker” (whose blog I adore) for posting the recipe for the crisp mixture. It never occurred to me, until now, to add a crisp layer on the bottom and top! Genius!
Here you can see how Instant ClearJel prevents the fruit filling from being soupy. Perfect!
Vanilla Ice Cream goes perfectly with Peaches (and Blueberries). Dig in!
TASTING NOTES: Yum! The Crisp Mixture is perfection. The crispy texture, buttery flavor and a whisper of cinnamon is so good. Even though the peaches didn’t have the skin removed, the fruit baked into glorious softness. This recipe for the Crisp Mixture is now my go to recipe. With summer coming to an end, I can see pears and cranberries, apples (hello Fall) and our stash of frozen berries will become on regular rotation as a quick and easy dessert. Guests love our fruit crisps and would never guess how easy they are to make.
The Best Peach and Blueberry Fruit Crisp Dessert
Equipment
- Casserole baking dish
- Medium Bowl for the crisp mixture
Ingredients
Crisp Mixture
- 2 cups quick oats 180 g
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 250 g
- 2 cups light brown sugar, packed 400 g
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter, 227 g ;cold, cubed
For the fruit mixture:
- 8 peaches (fresh or frozen) sliced (I don't remove the skins as a shortcut…okay, lazy!) No need to thaw frozen peaches or berries
- 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen; no need to taw
- ¾ cup white sugar increase or decrease, depending on the natural sweetness of the fruit
- 2 Tablespoons Instant Clear Gel see note below (or corn starch or finely ground tapioca
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla optional
Instructions
For the crisp:
- In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add the cubed butter. Using your hands or a fork, mix the butter into the flour mixture until the butter pieces are pea-sized or smaller. NOTE: I pulse all of the ingredients, and butter, in my food processor until just combined.
For the fruit:
- NOTE: Honestly, I don't really measure my fruit filling to an exact science. In general, I keep a ratio of 1/2 cup sugar to 2 cups of fruit filling. It all depends on the sweetness/tartness of the fruit.
- Wash and slice the peaches (I didn't skin them) and blueberries.
- To the sugar, add the Instant Clear Gel (or tapioca, ground fine) or cornstarch and whisk together. Add the lemon juice.Add to the sliced fruit, and thoroughly coat. Allow the fruit to "macerate" for at least 15 minutes to release their juices.
Layer the fruit crisp:
- NOTE: This recipe is for a 9×13 baking dish. Since it's only the two of us, I use a much smaller casserole dish and refrigerate the remaining crisp mixture for later use. (Stores up to 2 weeks.)
- Butter or spray a casserole dish. Add an even layer (half, if using a 9×13 dish) of crisp mixture and gently press.Evenly add a layer of the prepared fruit. Dot with butter (optional)Top with an even layer of the crisp layer and gently press.
- Bake at 375F, uncovered, for about 45 minutes– until bubbling and the top is golden brown. If the fruit isn't bubbling, bake for an additional 5 minutes or so.
- Allow to cool too warm or room temperature and serve with vanilla ice cream (our favorite) or whipped cream.
Notes
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