Berry Crisp

If you need something to do with all those berries you buy at the farmer’s market this weekend, a simple but delicious berry crisp is always a good idea. I can’t think of any kind of berry this wouldn’t work with though I’m partial to blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and marionberries. As much as I love fresh strawberries, I don’t love them cooked, so I probably wouldn’t use them in a berry crisp, but that shouldn’t keep you from doing it if you like that sort of thing. You could even throw some cherries in there. The berry police won’t care.

Can you tell I’m tired? I’m just gonna stop rambling now and hit the publish button.

Don’t forget the vanilla ice cream!

Berry Crisp

(6 – 8 servings)

Filling

2 pounds berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, etc.), fresh or frozen and thawed

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup butter, cold, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place clean berries in a large bowl. (I used mostly fresh but threw in some frozen, you can see they didn’t completely thaw, which is totally fine.)

In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and cornstarch until well combined. (This will prevent clumps go cornstarch in the final product.) Stir in the mixture with the berries and vanilla extract and set aside while you make the topping.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir together or, if you’re using a food processor, pulse a few times.

Slice the butter and add half of it to the oat mixture, cutting it in with a pastry cutter or fork or pulsing it with the food processor blade until it is fully combined. Add the remaining butter and cut it in or pulse until combined. It will form a crumbly dough.

Coat a 9 x 11-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Add the prepared berries to the pan. (I don’t have a picture of this step, but they will likely be saucy after sitting with the sugar and cornstarch. Give them a stir and arrange them in an even layer.

Spread the crumbly topping evenly over the berries, gently pressing it down into the berries a bit.