I vaguely remember one time in my life picking boysenberries, blueberries, huckleberries…some kind of berries…bringing them back to my mom, and her making a fresh berry cobbler that very day. It was a cobbler to remember.
I’ve always been a sucker for cobblers and crisps because of the buttery and crunchy top. I’ve been known to scoop off just the top and leave the filling for everyone else. Kind, I know.
It’s not that I don’t like the filling, it’s just not my favorite. I’m not a huge fan of fruit pies because I think they taste a little jelly. I tend to like the filling of cobblers and fruit crisps a little more since they are more juicy than jelly. Even then I am pretty picky when it comes to the type of fruit in the filling.
Canned fruits are a no go for me. They just don’t taste fresh. If I’m going to eat a pie, it has to be fresh cherries, peaches, apples, etc. As far as I’m concerned, it makes all the difference.
So when I had an entire bag of plums in the fridge that nobody was eating, and half a carton of Costco blueberries left, I figured it must be time for a fruit crisp. A Plum and Blueberry Maple Fruit Crisp to be exact.
I just couldn’t get the thought of maple out of my head. I know lots of crisps and cobblers use cinnamon as a main ingredient, but maple and blueberries just go together. It’s inevitable. And plums are definitely a fruit that can hold up to the maple flavoring as well.
It was worth a shot.
This fruit crisp is filled with fresh blueberries, an assortment of California plums, maple extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and some cornstarch to thicken the juices. Heavenly. But if you think that sounds good, just wait.
The topping. Oh the topping. The glorious, buttery, crispy, crunchy sweet topping. It’s to die for. I could eat it by the spoonful. It is the perfect thickness, the perfect flavor and the perfect crunch.
Top it with some freshly whipped cream or your favorite vanilla ice cream and you have a home run dessert.
There is really not much more I can say about this fruit crisp. You’re just going to have to try it yourself.
Although I do pretty much guarantee that you won’t just stop at “trying” it. Most likely you will devour it. And that’s okay.
- For Filling:
- 3 cups assorted plums, peeled and diced (about 10-12)
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1½ teaspoons maple extract
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- For Crumb Topping:*
- ½ cup gluten free oats
- 2 tablespoons oat flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- dash of salt
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, slightly chilled and cut into tablespoon slabs
- Sprinkle of cinnamon
- Ice cream (optional)
- Whipped cream (optional)
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray an 8X8 pan or 1 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl combine all ingredients, except cornstarch, for filling and mix thoroughly. Let sit while making the crumb topping.
- For the crumb topping combine oats, oat flour, tapioca flour, almond flour, pecans, brown sugar, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt in a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix ingredients until evenly distributed throughout. Cut in slightly chilled butter slabs with a pastry blender or two knives. Use fingers to thoroughly mix the crumbs with the butter.
- Add cornstarch to the filling mixture. Stir to combine. Pour filling into baking dish. Sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the crumb mixture.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes or until fruit crisp is lightly browned on top and filling is bubbling. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve with ice cream or freshly whipped cream.
