Anytime I can conjure up a healthy dessert for my family, I jump at the chance! A fruit crisp is one of the best summer treats you can make, with all the fruit at the peak of flavor! Baking berries brings out all that delicious juicy sweetness. It’s like making a pie, but way easier, and in my opinion, much tastier!
I made this for a family get together a few weeks ago and it turned out fantastic! Family dinners are few and far between these days, so sometimes we have to go out of our way to plan a day dedicated to just hanging out. Long summer evenings are the perfect time to reunite as a family.
A rustic summer crisp in a cast iron skillet is the epitome of late summer afternoon dessert. Fruit is so sweet and juicy in the store right now, I find myself buying up too many pints at the store and not being able to use it up in time.
Baking a crisp is the perfect way to use up fruit that is on it’s last leg! Plus, making it light and healthy is that much more enjoyable 🙂 This is the type of dessert the whole family can pitch in to help with too (even the kids!).
My husband can’t have dairy at all, so I had to come up with a better option for butter. Butter is a key ingredient on the topping for a crisp since it browns up so well in the oven. I used coconut oil instead because it also has that fatty texture to brown a little on top. You can definitely keep the butter if you would like. Both versions are equally as delicious!
The peaches in Texas are incredibly flavorful right now, but if you don’t have peaches, you can use another type of stone fruit or even sub apples!
Rustic Summer Fruit Crisp
- 1.5 cups old-fashioned or quick cooking oats
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- Sprinkle of nutmeg
- 1 cup blueberries
- 10 cherries
- 1-2 ripe peaches
- Coconut Oil or Butter for the top
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400º. Lightly spray a cast iron skillet with non stick cooking spray. Cut peaches in strips, pit cherries, then cut cherries in half. Here is my cherry pitting trick:
Add all the fruit to the skillet and distribute evenly. Sprinkle the white sugar over the mixture.
Combine the brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a separate bowl, then sprinkle on top of the fruit.
Drizzle coconut oil to the top (or butter if you prefer). I like to add enough to make it brown nicely.
Bake 25 – 30 minutes or until fruit is juicy and top is golden brown.
If you are a gluten-free eater, you can make sure to buy gluten-free oats at the store! Most oats are, but just double check that. You can also make this even healthier by using coconut sugar for brown sugar. The chemical properties are the same and it will still create the perfect taste!!
This was the perfect summer dessert to end a lazy summer Sunday afternoon.
What is your favorite summer dessert?
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Where was this recipe last weekend when I was searching for one to do in a skillet? I’m like you and always buy more than I can eat this time of year. I’m planning to make more this weekend and will likely use this recipe.
I love how easy & light this one is. We can’t do dairy in our house, but I really love how crispy coconut oil turns out! I hope you can give it a try! We’ve been making it almost every week!
Oh this looks so delicious! I have an abundance of fruit and all the other ingredients on hand… I don’t have a cast iron skillet – can I use an oven-safe pan instead? And, very clever way to de-pit the cherries 🙂 ! My stomach is rumbling….
You can definitely use any pan! You may just need to increase the bake time 🙂 I think you will really enjoy this. It is so light and healthy too, you can have it all the time. We have been making it almost every week 🙂
This looks so good!! Pinned so I can try it myself!
Thanks Anne! It is one of my favorite summer recipes yet!
This looks so delicious. I’ve never tried a crisp in a skillet, but I should!
I love doing it in a skillet, it just taste more rustic to me when I do it 🙂 Thank you Kati!
Your crisp looks and sounds amazing! I have been craving a fruit crisp so maybe I will give your recipe a try. I may have to change the fruit since I don’t have cherries right now 🙂 And as far as my favorite summer dessert….I pretty much love all desserts {{smiles}}
Thanks for joining Roses of Inspiration this week.
I hope you enjoy it! It is so light and easy to make. Sometimes I do it with just blueberries and it is equally delicious!
I will feature this tomorrow at Home Sweet Home! It looks so good. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Sherry! We really enjoyed it! I will be back to link up with you today 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Three of my favourites: peaches, blueberries, and cherries! Thanks for linking up to Blogger Brags. I have pinned your post to the Blogger Brags Pinterest board.
They are definitely some of my favorites too! Perfect for this time of year! Have a great day!
I love this combination of fruits – I must give it a try! Pinned it to my sweet treats board.
Thanks Joann, it is one of my favorite combinations as well. Perfect for end of summer!
Wow that looks good! Love finding a new use for my cast iron skillet too! Hey thanks for stopping by and sharing with us at #TryABiteTuesdays – hope to see you back this week, pinning and sharing!
I love using the cast iron skillet too. It always seems to make things taste better 🙂 Have a wonderful day!
Oooooh I love the idea of subbing coconut oil in for butter! I’ve tried a couple different substitutions to make a ‘healthier’ crisp, but nothing quite seems to do it like butter. The skillet probably helps too! Yum! Thanks for sharing with the Wednesday Showcase 🙂
Thanks Cristina! You’re right…it is so hard to sub butter. Coconut oil is the best one I have tried because it will brown up and it is sweet, so it gives a nice flavor 🙂
This looks like such comfort food! I really like your tip for pitting cherries, too!
Thanks Cathy! This is such a comforting dessert! And pitting cherries like that is such a time savor!! 🙂
Oh this looks delicious! I love how you combine so many summer fruits! I need to pin this for future use!
Thanks Elena! I hope you can save it and make it soon 🙂 It is really comforting and delicious!
I made this recipe and it was horrible! A waste of my beautiful organic fresh peaches from my friend ‘s tree. I never ever make a recipe that isn’t 5 stars (why bother) and this one shouldn’t have been rated 5 stars, IMO. It’s called Fruit CRISP, but there was nothing crisp about it. Also, it indicates either quick oats or old fashioned, I used old fashioned and the oats were too chewy and hard. This recipe needs to be revamped. I should have known there was a major problem with it when I noticed it says to drizzle melted butter or coconut oil over the top but gives no indication as to whether it is 1 tablespoon or 1/2 a cup! I ended up scraping off the oatmeal and trying to make it crisp by sauteing it in a pan – but that barely made a difference. I went back and read the comments and apparently no one made it, just said it “looked good” – those aren’t reviews! From now on, I won’t rely just on 5 stars, I’ll read the comments too. Please fix your recipe!
Wow Carole, there is no need to be so mean about it. This is from 2015, never heard bad things about it. I personally make this recipe almost every summer as well. It is okay to not like how something turns out (there are so many factors when it comes to making something with fruit like moisture, ripeness, etc). I make recipes all the time from blog posts and don’t like them. I have never left a mean comment though. Just something to think about.