Blueberry Crisp with Oats (old-fashioned dessert)
This blueberry crisp is an easy old-fashioned dessert made with fresh or frozen blueberries and a buttery oat topping. The berries bubble into a thick, juicy filling while the top bakes golden and crisp. It requires no crust, comes together with pantry staples, and works year-round.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
For the oat crumble:
- ¾ cup traditional oats also called old-fashioned or rolled oats
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold and diced
For the blueberries:
- 4 cups blueberries fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest optional
- 1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch optional but needed if you want a thicker filling
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Have ready an oven-proof 8x11-inch ceramic dish (I use an oval one, but a 9-inch round or square baking dish also works).
Make the oat topping:
- In another medium bowl, combine ¾ cup traditional oats, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Add ½ cup unsalted butter, diced and cold, and mix with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. It should be a bit clumpy. Keep refrigerated while making the filling.
Make the blueberry filling:
- Scatter 4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, in the prepared dish and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons light brown sugar and ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon lemon zest (if using) over them and stir to mix lightly.
- Drizzle 1 or 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice with ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract over the berries. If using the 2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolve them first in the juice before drizzling. Mix the berry mixture lightly with a spoon.
- Top the blueberries with the chilled crumb topping. It will cover the surface irregularly, and the edges will not have much. That's fine. It's good to have some space around the topping for the juices to bubble up.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top is dry and golden, and the blueberry filling is bubbling.
- Let cool on a wire rack until warm and eat with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Keep leftovers refrigerated, covered in plastic wrap, and warm slightly before eating.
Video
Notes
Oats: I like to use traditional or rolled oats as they have more texture. It does work with quick oats, but the topping will have a little less bite.
Lemon: You can adjust it to make this dessert more or less puckery. If you like just a hint of lemon, don't use the zest and use only 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. My family likes a good lemon flavor, so I use 2 tablespoons.
Brown sugar, in my opinion, gives it a wonderful caramel tone, but white sugar gives you that classic flavor. Both work perfectly well; use them on their own or in a mix.
