How to Make Perfect Blackberry Crisp

This delicious blackberry crisp recipe will show you how to take fresh fall blackberries and make the most delicious dessert ever in just a few minutes. The steps are incredibly simple, using ingredients that are easy to find - you probably have them in the pantry right now!

Blackberries not your thing? Or perhaps they're out of season. No problem! This recipe works equally well to create tasty blueberry, saskatoon, or rhubarb crisp.

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Or Perfect Blackberry Crumble

This recipe uses freshly picked blackberries, plus a secret ingredient that helps to balance out the sourness and make a wonderfully chewy, tangy dessert. You can serve it hot with ice cream, or try topping cold blackberry crisp with vanilla yogurt!

You will need:

Two large mixing bowls

A 9 x 13 Pyrex baking dish or cake pan

A rubber spatula

A pastry blender

A colander or strainer

Forks

Ingredients:

650g (23 ounces) fresh blackberries

1 ripe banana, mashed or pureed

¾ cup unbleached, all purpose flour

½ cup golden or brown sugar

¾ cup rolled oats or quick oats

½ cup chilled, salted butter

1. In a large mixing bowl, soak the berries in cold water. Transfer the berries to a strainer, rinse, and soak in fresh water again. Repeat until the berries are clean and ready to eat. Drain and set aside.

2. Lightly grease the baking dish with a bit of butter, and preheat your oven to 350F.

3. In another bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and oats with a fork until blended.

4. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mashed banana into the blackberries until evenly blended. Add a few tablespoons of the oats mixture to the berries and mix gently, then transfer the berries into the baking dish.

5. Cut the butter into chunks, then cut it into the oat mixture with a pastry blender, until the pieces are pea sized. Stir the mixture with a fork, then sprinkle over the berries in the baking dish. Gently spread the topping so that it is evenly distributed.

6. Place the baking dish in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 40 minutes. When the crisp is done, the topping should be crumbly, and the berries should be bubbling up around the edges.

7. Remove the pan from the oven, and let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Spice Variations

To add a little extra flavor, you can spice up your topping with a pinch or two of cinnamon, orange zest, ground ginger, or nutmeg.

Wherever there are dessert cooks and fall treats, there's bound to be a debate about the name of a crumbly fruit dish like this one. Although there are many variations on the fruit-with-topping recipe - like cobbler, betty and slump - crisps and crumbles are very similar to each other.

What do you call baked fruit with a crumbly crust?

There are lots of wonderful fall fruits that make for delicious crumbles and crisps. It's a great desert or afternoon treat to have when the weather is cool enough to turn on the oven again.

This how-to video covers the benefits of growing your own blackberries, and starts with a fun time-lapse of brambles growing!

Have Fun Picking Your Own Fresh Berries

In some areas, blackberry brambles are considered weeds, because they crop up everywhere and grow like mad, choking out other plants. The bonus is that anyone can enjoy these little treats in the fall for free, and have fun picking them just about anywhere.

Look for brambles that have bright green leaves, especially if you want to eat your berries raw. Plants that have dried out over summer will still produce berries, but they will be tough.

Don't pick berries from brambles that are right next to busy roads. It's dangerous, but the berries will also be grimy, dusty and exposed to constant exhaust fumes.

Bring along a stick, ruler or tree branch. Blackberry brambles grow thick and tangled, and some of the best berries are at the bottom. Use a stick to gently lift branches to get at the berries underneath, avoiding the sharp thorns.

Wasps and other insects love berries. If you have to go far from home to pick, bring along an insect bite remedy just in case. A little white vinegar works great for stings.

Old ice cream or yogurt containers make great berry picking baskets, but their flexibility means you might squish your berries while holding them. Double up to make a stronger container, and don't overfill so that the berries on the bottom stay intact.

Rinse and soak your berries as soon as you get home to remove dust, bugs and other impurities. If you're not using them right away, store the berries in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two, or lay them flat on a baking sheet and freeze them before transferring them to a bag or container.

Everyone has their own favorite, creamy way to serve and eat fruit crisps and cobblers. What do you prefer?

Use a few modern tools to make traditional, delicious blackberry preserves. They taste great on toast, ice cream, and fresh bread!

Learn to make these easy-to-prepare, rustic dessert recipes that feature seasonal fruits from around the year. Impress your guests, use up your crop, and add some extra fruit to your daily fare.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you get a chance to try out my not-too-sour blackberry crisp recipe.

If you have questions or comments about this page, I'd love to hear them!