Apple crisp is one of my favorite desserts. My grandma always used to make it for my birthday (along with pot roast!). There’s just something about the warm apples and crunchy cinnamon topping that makes me feel happy all over. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream that slowly melts into the warm crisp, and you’ve pretty much described bliss. How long it takes: 15 minutes to prep, and 50 minutes in the oven Equipment you’ll need: baking dish, large bowl, oven Servings: 6 Today, I’m bringing you apple crisp dessert with a little riff. I’ve added blueberries to the mix. Blueberries add a bit of tartness, gorgeous color, and a fair bit of healthy nutrition as well. Blueberries boast a high level of antioxidants (flavonoids) and fiber but they are low in calories. They have many health benefits (Healthline). So enjoy! If you’re not a fan of blueberries, be sure to try my apple crisp with ginger or one of the other ideas listed below.
About this apple blueberry crisp
This is a basic fruit crisp recipe that is easily adaptable. I’ve been making it for years. Apples and blueberries are good friends and make a really scrumptious crisp but feel free to use whatever combination of fruit you have. Fresh or frozen, it doesn’t matter. Other suggestions are peaches, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, or plums. It can be made in whatever oven-safe dish you have. This recipe can be made in a 8 or 9 inch square baking dish, or whatever you have that’s comparable, whether it’s square, rectangular, oval, or even a round pie dish. It’s fun to bake and serve in a cast iron skillet too. If you happen to have one of those darling small skillets that serve two, cut the recipe in half.
Ingredient Notes
How To Make Fruit Crisps
Get ready. Go ahead and get the oven preheating. It won’t take you long to get the crisp ready to bake. Find the baking dish you want to use and give it a light misting of nonstick spray. Looking for a fun way to bake and serve your crisp? Besides being attractive, a cast iron skillet will keep the crisp warm until you’re ready to serve it. They are handy for warm appetizers, too, such as this Mexican spinach dip. Prep the fruit. In a large bowl, lightly toss the sliced apples and blueberries with a couple tablespoons each of flour and sugar. Pile the fruit in the prepared baking dish, arranging it so it’s fairly even. If you notice that the blueberries are congregating in one corner, make sure you divvy them up a bit. Make the topping. In the same bowl you used for the fruit, combine the topping ingredients: flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the softened butter, and cut it into the dry ingredients. You can use a pastry cutter, a fork, your fingers, or a food processor to do this. The mixture should be pretty well combined and will be chunky. If you press a bit between your fingers, it should clump together. Add it to the fruit. Sprinkle the topping evenly on top of the fruit. If you like large clumps of crispy topping, press some of it between your fingers to form chunks. Bake. The crisp will need about 50 minutes in the oven. Crisps aren’t overly fussy about cooking time. It’s pretty difficult to overbake a crisp and in fact, it’s better to overbake it than underbake it. If you happen to have something else in the oven that needs to cook at a lower temperature, the crisp will be fine. You’ll just have to bake it a bit longer.
How can you tell when a crisp is done?
The top should be golden brown and firm and you should be seeing fruit juices bubbling up here and there throughout the topping.
What should you serve with a fruit crisp?
Serve apple blueberry crisp warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. A dollop of plain or sweetened yogurt is really good, too, or even a dab of sour cream.
Make It Your Own
Use different fruit. If you’re not a fan of blueberries, make your crisp with all apples. Or, instead of blueberries, substitute tart cherries, raspberries, or strawberries. In fact, feel free to mix and match the fruit. Plums, pears, peaches, or nectarines are good substitutions for the apples. Frozen fruit is perfectly acceptable. Add nuts. Pecans or walnuts can be added to the topping before baking. Make a double batch. Expecting a big crowd? Use a large baking dish and double the recipe. Increase baking time if necessary. Make extra topping. If you really love the crisp topping, it’s okay to make a batch and a half or even a double batch of the topping mixture and really pile it on. I often do that! Dress it up. Top your apple blueberry crisp with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce (or bourbon caramel sauce!).
More Recipes With Blueberries
Have a lot of blueberries? No worries, I have a lot of recipes for you.
Blueberry crumb bars Blueberry cream cheese filled muffins Blueberry bran muffins Blueberry strawberry muffins No-bake fresh blueberry pie Blueberry bread pudding
Make-Ahead Ideas
Prepare the crisp a day in advance, and refrigerated unbaked. Don’t worry if the apples discolor a bit. That’s normal and will not affect the end product at all. Unbaked fruit crisps can also be frozen. Double wrap in foil, label, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before baking. To bake, simply take the dish out of the refrigerator for a half hour while the oven preheats, uncover it, and bake as directed.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Store: Baked apple blueberry crisp is best eaten the first day. If you have leftover crisp, it can be stored at room temperature for a day or two, or refrigerated for up to three days. Be sure the crisp is totally cool before covering it with plastic wrap or foil. Reheat: Leftover apple crisp can be eaten at room temperature or lightly reheated. To reheat, single portions can be warmed in the microwave. Be careful, because it seems to heat quickly. Use 50% power and heat in 15 second increments. For a larger amount of leftover apple crisp, heat in a 325°F oven until it’s warm.
Leftover Love
Apple blueberry crisp breakfast bowl: Top leftover crisp with a big dollop of plain Greek yogurt. It’s one of my favorite breakfasts. With lots of fruit and oats, and the added yogurt, it’s a fairly healthy way to start your day.
