Apple Blueberry Crisp

Classic fruit crisps are easy to make and so delicious. Try apple blueberry crisp! The sweet tart combination of apples and berries makes an outstanding dessert.

Apple crisp is one of my favorite desserts. My grandma always used to make it for my birthday (that and 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.

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.

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.

I’ll get you started on baking your crisp and give you lots of helpful tips. As always, look for the printable recipe card near the end of the post for complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information.

What You’ll Need

• Apples: You’ll need about four small apples. Take a look at the FAQ section for information about which type of apple to use. Peel the apples, cut them into quarters, remove the core, and slice the quarters into thin slices.
• Blueberries: Either fresh or frozen blueberries work fine in a crisp. It isn’t necessary (or desirable) to thaw the berries first if they are frozen.
• All-Purpose Flour: Flour is used to thicken the fruit mixture and as an ingredient in the topping.
• Granulated White Sugar: Just a small amount of white sugar is mixed in with the fruit. Most of the sweetness in this dessert is found in the topping, and of course, the natural sugars in the fruit.
• Brown Sugar: Either dark or light brown sugar is fine. Brown sugar gives almost a caramel flavor to the topping. Be sure you pack the brown sugar firmly into the measuring cup for an accurate measurement.
• Butter: Always use unsalted butter for baking, unless directed otherwise. The butter should be at room temperature so it is soft enough to blend in.
• Oats: Rolled oats are essential to crisps. Choose old-fashioned or quick oats. Steel cut oats or instant oatmeal won’t work.
• Nutmeg and Cinnamon: This spice duo is perfectly suited for baked fruit desserts. They add a sweet, warm flavor that is incomparable. Try buying whole nutmeg and grate it with a fine grater. The taste is much more potent than ground nutmeg.

How To Make Fruit Crisps

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.

In a large bowl, lightly toss the 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.

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.

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 for about 50 minutes. 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.

FAQs

Make It Your Own

• 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 to the topping, if you like. Pecans or walnuts are good choices.
• Expecting a big crowd? Use a large baking dish and double the recipe. Baking time will need to be increased.
• 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 up your apple blueberry crisp with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce (or bourbon caramel sauce!).
• Have a lot of blueberries? Try blueberry cream cheese filled muffins or blueberry bran muffins. No-bake fresh blueberry pie is easy to make and so delicious. Blueberry bread pudding is always a hit and it’s a good way to use up day old bread.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Crisps are one of my favorite desserts for more than one reason. One great aspect of fruit crisps is that they can be made 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. If you like, add a squeeze of lemon juice to the fruit mixture to prevent oxidization but the apples won’t be brown after they’re baked.)

As a matter of fact, 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

Baked apple 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 cooled off before covering it with plastic wrap or foil.

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 apple crisp 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

Make an 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. Quite a lot of sugar but hey, not more than a lot of breakfast cereals or pancakes with syrup.

In fact, I have a few breakfast/apple crisp combos that I’ve developed because of my love for this dessert. Try apple crisp breakfast cookies, apple granola with walnuts, or a blueberry apple crisp smoothie bowl. My apple cinnamon no-bake energy bites make a great snack for lunchboxes or a quick pick-me-up.