Apple Crisp is as American as Apple Pie (which really might not be all that American – it’s likely to have been brought over by the English), but fruit crisps are so good with so many fruits or combinations. I’ve been making this simple Any Fruit Crisp with Streusel Topping for ages, so I can testify to how good it is!
Any Fruit Crisp – this is apple (with a drizzle of caramel before topping)
This is so easy it’s almost a non-recipe. Don’t let that fool ya, though, these crisps are always beautiful, brimming with fresh fruit flavor.
About Any Fruit Crisp with Streusel Topping:
This isn’t “my” recipe – I have it in my head it might have been developed by Pam Anderson, author of How to Cook without a Book as well as a slew of other cookbooks. Maybe you do need cookbooks after all!
I don’t know about you, but I need my recipes and could hardly live without my books, magazines & the internet! For one thing, I have no memory for details.
And if it’s something fabulous, I want to have it again and again. And of course, I want to pass on treasured food memories to my kids and grandchildren.
Variations:
Using a recipe doesn’t mean I won’t tinker! Play up apples and pears with caramel sauce, drizzled on top of the fruit before baking. It becomes bubbly, and some of the topping absorbs a little of the caramel, becoming both chewy and crunchy at the same time.
Butterscotch works, too, and one time I used a caramel sauce with ginger, a gourmet gift from a friend, and it was amazing!
When I use the Apple and Caramel combo, I am not kidding you, people go nuts! Try it and see – you’ll be lauded as a Queen (or King) and people will toss rose petals on your path and fan you with palm fronds. Well, maybe not, but they will think you’re a genius when they taste this! 🙂
Another simple variation is to add nuts to the streusel topping, usually walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds, which are considered classic. About 1/4 to 1/2 cup, depending on how finely they’re chopped, will do.
A different extract or a dribble of liquor can complement the fruit in the crisp. Bourbon or Rum goes well with apples. Frangelico is fab with pears, and so on.
Any Fruit Crisp – this is apple (with a drizzle of caramel before topping)
Making Any Fruit Crisp with Streusel Topping:
My first fruit crisp? Apple crisp, with a recipe almost like this, in 7th grade. I learned it in 4-H and made it over and over until the whole family was over it! Then I moved on to Chocolate Pudding. This is just a bit fancier, but still easy enough to teach the kids, and good enough to pass on.
The Streusel topping is best made by hand. I like to double or triple it and toss it in the freezer while I prepare the apples. Freezing the struesel for later was how I discovered that any struesel turns out better if added still frozen.
Make the streusel first, spread it on a plate or sheet pan, and put it in the freezer as you prepare the fruit.
Make topping first and toss in the freezer.
Serve With:
There’s nothing better with a humble fruit crisp than vanilla ice cream. Enough said.
Leftover Any Fruit Crisp with Streusel Topping:
Fruit Crisps (according to the FDA) can be stored at room temperature for a day or two. Make sure it’s cool before covering to prevent condensation.
If storing longer, place in the fridge. Let cool to fridge temperatures before covering. Freezing will destroy any crispiness in the topping.
Other Recipes You Might Like:
- Dark Cherry and Chocolate Crisp – not usually my favorite combination, but this was fantastic!
- Individual Dulce de Leche Apple Crisps – a fun little cheat and minures to make if you have frozen streusel in the freezer!
- Easy Mixed Berry Crisp – so many options for crisps, right? And they’re all delish!
Easy Mixed Berry Crisp
Saving Money on Groceries:
What you pay for groceries depends on not just WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.
- The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Think beyond the occasion & use the opportunity to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
- If available, take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality. Be selective when shopping there.
The best way to save money on this or any recipe is to have a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer full of sale-priced items.
Brown Sugar:
- Pick up before the Winter Holidays or Easter, but do watch for sporadic sales. The discount stores are great bets.
- Making your own does save money over buying if you use it often and/or have other uses for molasses. See Homemade Light or Dark Brown Sugar.
Butter:
If you have a deep freeze (and you should), there’s no reason to buy butter at full price. It goes on sale often and keeps well.
- While on sale before any holiday, rock-bottom pricing is before the Winter Holidays, and often matched by sales before Easter. Count out the weeks between holidays and buy appropriately.
- Discount stores have great pricing on butter year-round (and sale prices before holidays).
Oatmeal:
- Stock up on oatmeal in the fall; it’s generally cheapest when the warehouses are full. Look for it on sale before holidays known for brunches: Mother’s Day & Easter. January is National Oatmeal Month, and you may find specials.
- Discount stores like Aldi or Lidl are great places to pick up oatmeal, and the product is indistinguishable from the name brand.
- For best pricing, buy in the round cartons; avoid the individual packets and flavor your own.
Fruit:
- Look for and make this with in-season fruit. It will taste best and save money. Berries are often on sale before holidays, especially in the spring and summer.
- Frozen is an option, but don’t always assume it is the cheapest one.
This recipe should have you making any fruit crisps pretty much all year long! I hope you enjoy, and please check back if you make it! Thanks for being here!
Mollie
Any Fruit Crisp – this is apple (with a drizzle of caramel before topping)
Any Fruit Crisp with Streusel Topping
- Prep Time: varies with fruit
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: Desserts Fruit
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 7 cups prepared fruit
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup oatmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, apple, or pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter in small pieces, well chilled
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss fruit with lemon and zest, spread evenly in an eight-inch square pan, pressing down lightly.
Mix brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, spices, and salt. Add butter and mix into coarse crumbs. May be done in the food processor, about 10 pulses, then five seconds. Sprinkle over the fruit.
Place in oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake until topping is brown and fruit is tender when tested with a fork, 30 to 40 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Fruit for Any Fruit Crisp:
- Apples: Two and a half pounds of baking apples, about six, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced.
- Apricots: Three pounds, 15 to 20, peeled, pitted, and quartered.
- Berries: Two pounds, rinsed and drained well. Toss with a tablespoon of sugar.
- Nectarines or Peaches: Three pounds, about eight to ten. Peel (peaches), pit, and cut into sixths.
- Pears: Two and a half pounds, six to seven. Peel, core, and thinly slice.
- Plums: Three pounds, 15 to 20. Pit and quarter.
- Frozen Fruit: May be used.
- Combinations: Try combinations of fruit or of fruit and dried fruit, as desired.
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