Blueberry Apple Crisp
One of my all-time favourite desserts has got to be apple crisp. It is just so delicious, with perfectly baked apples and the best sweet crisp topping. This recipe is a twist to the popular apple crisp. By adding blueberries, a different dimension of flavour is added. This Blueberry Apple Crisp dessert is perfect to make when both apples and blueberries are in season.
The best part about this dessert is that it is super quick and easy to make. You literally just need to throw all the ingredients together and bake (besides peeling and chopping, of course). Oh, and it will make your house smell SO GOOD. It’s the perfect cozy season dessert!
Enjoy this sweet Blueberry Apple Crisp as a fall dessert. Pair with a hefty scoop of vanilla ice cream and you have yourself a cozy dessert. You can even have this apple crisp with Greek yogurt for a quick, sweet breakfast or snack.
Crisp vs. Crumble vs. Cobbler
You may have heard the terms crisp, crumble, and cobbler; but don’t be confused, they are actually all different! The difference mainly lies in the topping. Let’s talk about them briefly.
Let’s start with the crisp, which is what this recipe is. Just like the crumble and cobbler, a crisp has a bottom layer of baked fruit. The topping of a crisp, however, is crunchy. It contains flour, sugar, oats, and butter and when that is baked, it becomes crispy or crunchy.
Second is the crumble. Like the crisp, it also contains a bottom layer of baked fruit, but the topping isn’t crispy like a crisp. The topping is more like a streusel topping so there isn’t going to be a crunch. Here is an Apple Crumble recipe you can try out!
And last is the cobbler, which also contains a bottom layer of baked fruit. Traditionally, biscuit batter is used to top the fruit, which is not like a crumble or crisp. If you’d like to try out a recipe, try this Cherry Peach Cobbler.
Those are the differences of a crisp, crumble, and cobbler. They are equally delicious, though!
Ingredients Needed for Blueberry Apple Crisp
Apples: use apples that are best for baking such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady. You can also choose to use pears instead of apples for another twist.
Blueberries: you can use fresh or frozen. Or, you can choose to use a different berry, such as strawberries or blackberries.
Lemon juice: adds a subtle twist and helps keep the apples from browning.
Ground cinnamon: adds the perfect amount of spice. Try experimenting with other spices, like nutmeg and cloves.
Corn starch: helps to thicken the juices that are released from the fruits.
Sugar: both granulated and brown sugar sweetens this Blueberry Apple Crisp perfectly.
Vanilla extract: adds another layer of subtle flavour.
Oats: helps make the crispy topping.
All-purpose flour: helps make the crispy topping.
Butter: helps make the crispy topping and adds some crunch.
How to Make this Delicious Recipe
Prepare the Fruit
Peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices. They shouldn’t be too thick that they don’t cook through and they shouldn’t be too thin that they get overcooked and don’t have a bite.
Combine the apples, blueberries, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, corn starch, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract, then mix well until evenly coated.
Pour this mixture into a greased baking dish and spread evenly. Set aside.
Make the Topping
In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, oats, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, and salt. Add the cubed, cold unsalted butter and cut it into the sugar/oat/flour mixture using a pastry cutter or a fork. Do this until the mixture resembles coarse or wet sand. It’s okay to have small chunks of butter throughout. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the apples and blueberry.
Bake
Bake in an oven that’s been preheated to 350°F for 45-55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges are bubbling. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve on its own, or with vanilla ice cream, Greek yogurt, or whipped cream.
Variations for Blueberry Apple Crisp
This recipe is so good because you can really substitute any of the ingredients to ones that you prefer or have on hand. Here are some ideas that you can try.
- For the fruit portion, you can use other fruits such as pears, peaches, cherries, blackberries, strawberries, and rhubarb. You can use just one or a combination of 2 or more.
- For the spices portion, this recipe only uses cinnamon, but you can try using other spices like ginger, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, star anise, and more.
- Instead of using granulated sugar to sweeten the fruit, you can try using other sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, or agave. For the topping portion, however, I would stick to using the brown sugar as indicated in the recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although you can technically use any apple you like, some apples do better for baking. I would suggest Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady, as these apples get beautifully soft but still hold their shape after being baked.
Along with rolled, old-fashioned oats, you can also use quick oats or steel-cut oats.
The great thing about this Blueberry Apple Crisp recipe is that it is quite easy to switch out the apples or blueberries for other fruits! You can use any other fruit in place of the apples or blueberries; simply replace with the same amount in the recipe. Some fruits to try are peaches, pears, strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
You can use a dish that 8×10 inch, 9×9 inch, or anything similar in size. You can even use a round cast iron skillet similar in size.
Other recipes that you might love:
Matcha White Chocolate Cookies
Lemon Blueberry Mini Cheesecakes
Blueberry Apple Crisp
Description
Tart apples and sweet blueberries, topped with a sugar oat topped and baked to perfection.
Ingredients
Crisp Topping
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 8x10 inch or 9x9 inch baking dish. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, add the sliced apples, blueberries, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, corn starch, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract; mix until everything is combined. Pour this mixture into the greased baking dish and spread evenly.
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In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, oats, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon, and salt. With a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the mixture until well combined. There should be small clumps throughout. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over top the apples and blueberries.
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Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, until top golden brown and bubbling around edges.
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Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
Note
Ovens can vary slightly in temperature so be sure to keep an eye on the crisp near to the end of the cook time.
