25 Fruit Crumbles, Crisps, and Cobblers

November 03, 2011
Photo: Randy Mayor
These rustic desserts are an ideal way to showcase seasonal fruits. They're so simple and require only a baking dish, some fruit, and a few other ingredients.
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Crumble, Crisp, and Cobbler Recipes

View Recipe: Maple-Walnut Apple Crisp

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.

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Rainier Cherry Crumble

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Rainier Cherry Crumble

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.

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Blueberry Crisp

Photo: Marcus Nilsson
View Recipe: Blueberry Crisp

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.

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Plum Cobbler

Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Plum Cobbler

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.

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Cranberry and Apple Crumble

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Cranberry and Apple Crumble

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.

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Cast-Iron Apple Cobbler

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Cast-Iron Apple Cobbler

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

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Pear, Apple, and Cherry Crumble

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Pear, Apple, and Cherry Crumble

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.

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Cherry-Almond Crisp

Photo: Anna Williams
View Recipe: Cherry-Almond Crisp

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.

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Stone Fruit Cobbler

Photo: Anna Williams
View Recipe: Stone Fruit Cobbler

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.

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Pear Crisp with Amaretti Topping

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Pear Crisp with Amaretti Topping

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

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Blueberry-Peach Cobbler

Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Blueberry-Peach Cobbler

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.

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Apple Crumble with Golden Raisins

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Apple Crumble with Golden Raisins

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.

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Peach, Plum, and Apricot Crisp

Photo: Gentl & Hyers
View Recipe: Peach, Plum, and Apricot Crisp

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

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Cranberry-Cherry Crumble

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Cranberry-Cherry Crumble

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

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Banana-Mango Crisp

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Banana-Mango Crisp

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.

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Coconut-Peach Cobbler with Bourbon-Pecan Ice Cream

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Coconut-Peach Cobbler with Bourbon-Pecan Ice Cream

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.

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Red Wine Pear Crisp with Spiced Streusel

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Red Wine Pear Crisp with Spiced Streusel

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.

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Lattice-Topped Blackberry Cobbler

Photo: John Autry
View Recipe: Lattice-Topped Blackberry Cobbler

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.

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Berry-Peach Cobbler with Sugared Almonds

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Berry-Peach Cobbler with Sugared Almonds

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

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Apple-Cranberry Walnut Crisp

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Apple-Cranberry Walnut Crisp

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.

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Triple-Berry Crisps with Meringue Streusel

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Triple-Berry Crisps with Meringue Streusel

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.

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Juicy Apple Crisp

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Juicy Apple Crisp

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

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Mixed-Fruit Cobbler

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Mixed-Fruit Cobbler

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.

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Green-Tomato-and-Raspberry Cobbler

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Green-Tomato-and-Raspberry Cobbler

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

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Apple and Blackberry Crumble

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Apple and Blackberry Crumble

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.

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