This Healthy Blackberry and Pear Breakfast Crisp Is Ready in Under 30 Minutes

Feast your eyes on this fruit crisp with a honeyed oat topping that you can have for breakfast sans the sugar crash.

Blackberry-Pear-Breakfast-Cris
Photo:

Greg Dupree, Prop Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Food Stylist: Claire Spollen

Prep Time:
20 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 25 mins
Servings:
8

If you're someone who dreams about pie for breakfast, then we have the recipe for you. This breakfast fruit crisp is just as delicious as a traditional one, but a few smart tweaks maximize the nutrition. First, there's significantly less sugar than in most crisp recipes. Second, the oat topping is flecked with pecans and sunflower seeds. Third, a dollop of yogurt on top adds protein, calcium, and gut-friendly probiotics. Plus, did we mention it's packed with fruit and oats? It's basically health food, and we're here to enjoy every bite. Make it for a brunch crowd or keep it in your fridge all week for an easy, fruity breakfast. 

Make sure the filling is bubbling before pulling the crisp out of the oven. The filling needs to reach a boil to activate the thickening properties of the cornstarch to ensure the filling is jammy and not watery. If the topping is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with foil.

Ingredients

  • 2 lb. (about 5) fresh pears (such as Bartlett), chopped into 1-in. pieces

  • 2 10-oz. pkg. (about 5 cups) frozen blackberries 

  • 3 Tbsp. cornstarch 

  • 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

  • 1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger (from a 1-in. piece)

  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt

  • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. honey, divided

  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

  • 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

  • 1/2 cup whole-wheat or all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

  • Plain whole-milk yogurt, for serving

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together pears, blackberries, cornstarch, lemon juice, ginger, salt, and 2 tablespoons honey in a large bowl; toss until evenly coated. Transfer mixture to a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.

  2. Heat butter and remaining 1/4 cup honey in a medium saucepan over medium-low until butter is melted and mixture is runny. Remove from heat; stir in oats, flour, pecans, and seeds. Sprinkle mixture over fruit in baking dish. 

  3. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until bubbling and topping is golden brown and crisp, 45 to 50 minutes. (Tent with aluminum foil after 30 minutes if browning too quickly.) Let cool slightly, about 20 minutes, or cover and refrigerate until completely cooled. Serve warm or chilled, topped with yogurt. 

Make-Ahead: Cover and refrigerate baked crisp for up to 5 days. Reheat, covered with foil, in oven at 300°F, or reheat a single serving in the microwave. Or, serve cold or at room temperature. Top with yogurt. 

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