We are heading into a long weekend and I can’t think of a better time to share this fruit-granola crisp recipe with you. This recipe is fancy enough to take to brunch with friends, or can be a last minute dessert to take to a cookout. The recipe contains only a few basic ingredients but is completely brilliant.
Deb Perelman, who is the OG in the food blogging world, shared this Strawberry-Granola Crisp recipe in the May issue of Bon Appétit. The recipe is perfect as she shared it. Even though granola is in the title, I fully expected this to have the texture of every fruit crisp I have had before. I could not believe that the granola topping truly is granola-like with the shattering texture you want. I was even more surprised that the texture stayed this way for a day or two of leftovers. I found a simple scoop of plain Greek yogurt on top was perfect for breakfast, but this is sweet enough to make a very satisfying dessert if you gild the lily with vanilla ice cream.
As I said, the original recipe needs no modification but since I ate this for breakfast I wondered if I could lighten the recipe a little. I made a few changes by replacing the sugar on the fruit with coconut sugar, and substituting the all-purpose flour with almond flour. The result was that the fruit did not cook down as much as the original recipe, but was still sweet enough to be satisfying. The granola was crisp right out of the oven, but became softer the next day. Still good, and I didn't feel as guilty eating fruit crisp for breakfast.
I used a different combination of fruit both times I made this, and the fruit cooked perfectly. The first time I happened to have rhubarb and blueberries which created a perfect balance of tart and sweet. The second time I used a mixture of fresh blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Any fruit you would typically use in a crisp should work here.
Whether you choose the original version as it was intended, or the lightened up version I tried, you have a new breakfast (or dessert) option that is pure genius!
Fruit-Granola Crisp
Servings: 4-6
Barely adapted from Strawberry-Granola Crisp, by Deb Perleman, Bon Appétit
The original recipe uses sliced almonds and included 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut. I used the ingredients I had on hand, so I substituted pecans for the almonds and omitted the coconut altogether since I didn’t have any.
2 lbs. mixed fresh berries
3 T. light brown sugar
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. plus 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
Kosher salt
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 T. pure maple syrup
1 c. old-fashioned oats
1/3 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
Plain yogurt, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream to serve
Place oven rack in lower third of oven. Preheat to 350 degrees. Toss fruit, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl to combine; transfer to a 9” diameter pie dish or 1-quart baking dish.
Stir oil and maple syrup in a medium bowl to combine. Add oats, pecans, flour, and 2 pinches of salt and work until mixture comes together in loose clumps; scatter over filling. Place crisp on foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and and bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 35-45 minutes. Let cool at least 30 minutes until serving.
Serve with yogurt, whipped cream, or ice cream, if desired.
Crisp can be baked 1 day ahead. Let cool completely; cover and chill.
Lightened Up Fruit-Granola Crisp
Using the same recipe above, replace the light brown sugar with an equal amount coconut sugar, and the all-purpose flour with an equal amount of almond flour. Proceed with instructions.
