25 Fruit Crumbles, Crisps, and Cobblers

These simple desserts offer the comfort of fruit pies but without the work of making a piecrust. Cobblers have a softer biscuit-like topping and texture, while crumbles and crisps have a crunchy, buttery, streusel-like topping that provides a contrast to the soft fruit in the filling.

First up, apples are combined with maple syrup instead of sugar in this fruit crisp to impart sweet, but not too sweet, distinctive flavor. Add a small scoop of low-fat vanilla ice cream to this crisp when it's warm from the oven.

Rainier cherries are sweet enough on their own that the filling for this crumble needs no extra sugar. The topping is crunchy and nutty, and the filling is sweet, warm, and gooey, for a perfect comforting dessert. You don't even need a cherry pitter: Hit each cherry with the flat side of a chef's knife (like crushing garlic cloves), and the pit pops right out.

Ripe, fresh blueberries are perfect for this dish, though frozen berries will also work. But keep them frozen, and bake the crisp 10 or 15 minutes longer as needed. Thawed berries are too fragile to toss and give off lots of liquid.

Some folks like the homey appeal of one large cobbler baked in a glass or ceramic casserole dish. Baking in individual-sized dishes is another option that makes a statement at the table. Any of our recipes can be baked in ramekins or other earthenware, but if you opt for that route, they won't need to bake as long. For example, these individual Plum Cobblers only bake 35 minutes.

This simple winter dessert satisfies. We used Braeburn apples, but Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, or any other tart variety will do. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Entertaining a smaller crowd? This homey apple cobbler recipe can be easily halved and baked in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet.

Turbinado sugar is typically sprinkled on bakery cookies. We've incorporated it into the crumble's topping, where its course crystals provide a satisfying crunch.

Fresh tart cherries can be hard to find, which is why we add some dried ones to boost the flavor of this crisp. If you have access to fresh tart cherries, use 3 pounds and omit the dried fruit. Serve with vanilla low-fat ice cream, if desired; a small (1/4-cup) scoop will add 55 calories and 0.5 grams of saturated fat to each serving.

Tender and buttery, this cobbler’s crust is a nice foil for the intense filling. You can bake in any 2-quart baking dish, from round to rectangular. For a special treat (and an extra 55 calories and half a gram of saturated fat), top with a small scoop of vanilla low-fat ice cream.

Choose slightly under-ripe, firm pears for this crisp. Amaretti cookies, Italian almond macaroons, can be found at specialty stores and gourmet grocers.

Our Blueberry-Peach Cobbler is like a blueberry muffin canoodling with fresh peaches. Be sure to use peaches that aren't superripe for this recipe so they'll hold their shape when cooked. The baking dish will be brimming with fruit and topping, so it's a good idea to place it on a foil-lined baking sheet before putting it in the oven.

Baked apple sweetened with raisins, orange juice, and cinnamon is graced with a simple crumb topping. We used tart Granny Smith apples; for a slightly sweeter flavor, try Braeburn apples.

Stone fruits work their magic with this dessert. Serve warm with vanilla low-fat ice cream.

Fresh (or frozen, depending on the season) cranberries combine with frozen dark sweet cherries for a colorful filling topped with an almond, oat mixture.

When it comes to bananas, think beyond bread. Go tropical with this easy fruit crisp featuring banana, fresh mango, and a crumbly topping of oats, brown sugar, coconut, and ginger. Sinced they are baked, slightly green bananas work wonderfully in this recipe.

There's nothing about this dessert that isn't excellent. From the rich and nutty ice cream, to the coconut-cookie crust, to the sweet and fresh peach filling, it'll knock 'em dead every time. The best part? You can make each component ahead of time, and assemble and bake just before serving.

Pears and red wine combine beautifully in this dessert. Make sure that the pears are firm and not too ripe, or they will become mushy when cooked with the wine. Bosc and Anjou pears work well.

The level of natural sugar in most fruits is set when harvested, so sample the fruit before making your cobbler. If the fruit is underripe and tastes tart, you can add an extra couple tablespoons of sugar to the fruit filling. Using whole almonds in this topping gives it a little color from the skins, but substituting sliced or slivered almonds will work in this recipe, as well.

Serving Suggestion: Although the cobbler is tasty on its own, if you want to serve it with low-fat ice cream, reduce the serving size to about ½ cup.

A delicious combination of blueberries, blackberries, and peaches yields a sweet, juicy dessert that's the epitome of summer.

The combination of oats, whole wheat pastry flour, and walnuts makes the topping taste a little like a granola bar. This dish can be made ahead and warmed in a 250º oven while you eat dinner.

This fresh berry dessert uses a baked meringue that's crumbled and stirred into the streusel. The filling uses crystallized ginger and orange rind for a decidedly tart flavor that contrasts with the sweet topping. Because the meringue needs to sit in the oven at least 12 hours, make it a day before serving.

We up the juiciness factor for this apple crisp by adding undiluted apple juice concentrate to the filling.

In this cobbler, whole-wheat flour does double duty. We've used it as the basis of a truly tender "cobbled" topping and as a thickener for the juicy fruit filling.

Green tomatoes make a surprise appearance in this dessert. In the winter, you can substitute cranberries for the raspberries.

This tasty fruit dessert is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth while reaping the nutritional benefits of fresh apples and blackberries. Because this fruit isn't heavily sweetened, we recommend serving with light vanilla ice cream or custard.