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Berry Crisp is so much better when it has an Oatmeal Cookie Crumble on top! This simple berry crisp recipe is full of delicious berry flavor and topped with a crumble that’s actually an oatmeal cookie. It’s a cookie cobbler recipe!
The title of this post is sure a mouthful, isn’t it? I originally posted this recipe back in 2014 when I knew nothing about SEO or naming recipes because that one is surely not something someone is going to search for. They’ll search for berry cobbler, yes, or berry crisp or berry crumble. But no one is going to search for Oatmeal Cookie Crumble let alone “Berry Crisp with Oatmeal Cookie Crumble.”
Ah, the things we learn as we do our jobs, right?
Regardless of what we call this recipe, let’s call it amazingly delicious. It’s a berry crisp recipe that has a giant oatmeal cookie as the crumble topping. You don’t get better than that!
I still remember when I developed this recipe. I’d just made oatmeal cookies when I started wondering about crisp and crumble recipes and realizing that so many of them called for oats. Oats, to me, signify oatmeal cookies…and this beautiful mash-up recipe was born.
My Berry Crisp recipe uses fresh or frozen mixed berries and is topped with an oatmeal cookie crumble topping. This is the perfect summer crisp recipe!
This isn’t the first time I made a crumble either: back in the day I was all about making crumble recipes for topping pies and bars. Even before I shared my all-purpose crumble topping recipe I was making things like Zucchini Pie Bars and Pear Pie Bars, all with a similar crumb on top.
I love how easy and versatile this simple berry crisp recipe is. There are so many ways to change it up to fit what fruit you have on hand or like to eat.
What’s the difference between crisp, cobbler, and crumble?
Based on the definitions of each of these recipes, this one is definitely NOT a cobbler and it’s a cross between a crisp and a crumble.
- A cobbler has a dropped-biscuit like topping.
- A crisp and crumble both have a crumbly topping, but a crumble rarely includes oats or nuts, making this firmly a CRISP.
The fruit for a Berry Crisp can be anything you like – even if it’s not berries!
Really, when it comes to crisp recipes you can use any combination of berries (kind of like when you make a dump cake).
Mixing up the berries in this crisp makes it easy to substitute your favorite berries, or whatever is on sale that week at the market. I used a pound of strawberries and a cup of blueberries. You want about 5 cups of fruit total, so mix and match as you please.
You can use fresh or frozen fruit in this recipe. Here are some tips:
- Use about 5 cups total of fruit for a 8-inch square pan.
- If you’re using frozen fruit, thaw and drain it well.
- Mix and match your favorites. You can use any combination of berries or throw in some peaches too!
- The only fruit I don’t use for THIS recipe is apple. I have a specific way of cooking my apples for cobblers and pies.
Making fruit crisp that’s not runny is simple.
To reduce the risk of a runny, watery crisp, I coated my berries with some lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar. It makes a nice thick juice during baking. That’s how I love my pies and crisps. This is such an easy recipe because you just throw your coated berries in the bottom of an 8×8″ baking dish and then top it with the crumble.
What goes into a crumble topping for a fruit crisp?
Basically you need the following for any versatile crisp or crumble:
- Cold Butter
- Sugar
- Flour
Since I turned this into an oatmeal crisp, we’re adding oatmeal and cinnamon to the mix. I also used brown sugar to make it taste more like an oatmeal cookie.
When you’re making the crumble, you want to start with cold butter. It doesn’t have to be super cold straight from the refrigerator, but it’ll become a gloppy mess if you try to use room temperature butter. I like to dice it into small cubes and add it to my dry ingredients with a pastry cutter. It takes work and muscles, but it makes a better crumb than using a food processor or mixer would. You may need to get in there with your hands to get all the butter incorporated.
Once it’s baked it’s a crunchy, sweet oatmeal cookie-like crumble on top of sweet and juicy berries. This crumble is even better topped with a huge scoop of ice cream. It’s the perfect summer potluck dessert, 4th of July dessert, or just because it’s a random Monday and you want crumble and fruit.
You can also make this in a 9×13-inch baking dish by simply doubling the recipe.
If you love Berry Crisp, be sure to try these recipes:
Tools for success:
- Be sure and use a pastry cutter to make cutting in the butter super easy!
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Berry Crisp with Oatmeal Cookie Crumble
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup quick cook oats
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter diced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 lb. strawberries hulled and sliced (may substitute frozen)
- 1 cup blueberries frozen or fresh
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Make the crumble by combining the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until the mixture forms small crumbs. You may need to use your hands to help it along. Set aside.
- Place strawberries and blueberries in a large bowl. Toss gently with sugar, lemon, and cornstarch Place in the bottom of a 8” square pan.
- Pour the crumble over the top and press down slightly to compact.
- Bake for 30-33 minutes. It’s done when the crust is browned and the topping looks crunchy. Serve warm (or room temperature) with whipped or ice cream. Note: if you serve it before it cools and has time to gel, the filling will spill in the pan.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Aim for about 5 cups of fruit.
- If you're using frozen fruit, be sure to thaw it or at least make sure it's not got chunks of ice crystals on it.
- Use any combination of fruit: berries or peaches work fabulous.
Recipe Nutrition
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Last Updated on May 13, 2020
If I doubled this recipe and put it in a 9×13 pan, would the bake time be the same?
Approximately, yes, possibly just a bit more.
Love this recipe! I cut out the salt for the topping and decrease the amount of sugar. I’ve used apples before and it turned out perfect.
Amazing recipe! Thanks for sharing! I made a couple of changes that are worth sharing also. I have a corn allergy so substituted twice the amount of tapioca flour for cornstarch. I used boysenberries and peaches, added chopped pecans to the topping and sprinkled with a few dark chocolate chips. Omg. Amazing with vanilla ice cream!!!
Excellent recipe! The crisp is amazingly simple to make and SO DELICIOUS! I made it just as stated and it was perfect!!🌟👏🏻🙌🏼
Can you make this with pie filling???
Yes!
Trying this recipe, and although it was delicious, I’m wondering if it would be possible to cut down a little on the oatmeal, and increase the flour? I absolutely LOVE your regular flour crumble, but when using strawberries and rhubarb, I thought it should have an oatmeal crumble, but I think I’d like it a little less oatmealy. Thank you sharing your recipes with us.
The best recipe for berry crisp out there. I have made it twice and had rave reviews both times.
I used blackberries once, and Boysenberries the second time, so slightly less lemon juice. This was SOOO good! Thanks!
My friend recently made this recipe for a gathering and while it was delicious, I thought it was a bit was too sweet. I don’t eat as many sweets as I used to so I find regular dessert recipes too sweet. I just made it with 1/4 cup brown sugar (instead of 3/4C) and 1/4 cup regular sugar (instead of 1/2C) and I thought it was a perfect amount of sweetness. I also used whole wheat flour and regular oats and didn’t have any issues.
I have made this recipe twice. It is easy and delicious. Love the topping!
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