Mixed Berry Brown Sugar Crisp

We wanted to create a colorful dessert for Mother’s Day and when we brought home berries for our almond-berry scones, (recipe coming soon) we couldn’t resist the idea of making a mixed berry crisp! It’s a quick and delicious way to use an assortment of gorgeous, ripe berries in an easy-to-make dish. We used blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and huckleberries, but you can use almost any berry combination you like best! It’s a simple dessert that even the kids can make for mom without a ton of help! Fruit crisps are an easier version of pies because you don’t have to bother with the crust and the rest is basically the same. Don’t get me wrong, we love a good, flaky pie crust, but if you want a little lighter dessert to follow a rich dinner, a crisp is a great way to go. Plus, if there are any leftovers, they are wonderful for breakfast, too! 

Mixed Berry Brown Sugar Crisp

We used four different kinds of fresh berries: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and some of our frozen huckleberries. That’s the beauty of a crisp – you can use fresh or frozen berries or a combination of both. Just remember to add a little more flour if you are using any or all frozen berries. If just part of your fruit was previously frozen, like mine was, then add an extra tablespoon of flour per cup of frozen fruit. If all of your berries were frozen, then you will want to double the amount of flour called for in this recipe. The reason for that is the frozen berries seep berry juice as they thaw and that needs to be soaked up so that the dessert isn't too runny.  We've made this both with still frozen berries and defrosted berries. Either way, you will want to add the extra flour. 

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Ingredients

Crumb Topping

• ▢ 1 cube unsalted butter chilled and cut into small cubes
• ▢ 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt

Berry Filling

• ▢ 4 cups mixed fresh or frozen berries raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, huckleberries, rinsed
• ▢ 1/4 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup all-purpose flour if using all frozen berries, double this to 1/2 cup flour … see notes above
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Crumb Topping

• Mix flour, brown sugar, salt, and spices in a mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your cold fingertips, cut the butter into the dries until crumbly and the butter is the size of small peas. Set aside.
  

Berry Filling

• Spray an 8-inch square baking dish or any shape you like such as round or oval, but with the equivalent volume capacity of about 2 quarts.
• In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, salt, and spices and blend well. Place cleaned berries in a larger bowl and sprinkle the dry mixture over the berries. Gently toss to coat the berries.
  
• Spoon berries evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
• Distribute the crumb topping evenly over the top of the berries.
• Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes or until the crumb topping is beginning to brown nicely, and the berry filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven and serve warm or cold with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt, ice cream, or a dollop of whipped cream (or whipped cream blended with mascarpone cheese).