If Autumn had a smell, it would be a combination of apples and cinnamon. While I save my pumpkin spice love for dessert and coffee, If I had to make a candle of the greatest hits of fall smells, cinnamon wins the prize.
Apple Blueberry Crisp
We are still in the crossroads between summer and fall, with put-your-socks-on-it’s cold mornings, warm sunny afternoons, and “Did you bring your sweatshirt to the game?” evenings.
Yards display a combination of plants ready to pull up, and the marigolds which are nothing short of spectacular color wise. (Though, a marigold will never be a candle of choice in my world. No thank you.)
I am hankering to pick apples this weekend, weather permitting, and yet, I still have blueberries in the freezer. What’s a girl to do?
Last weekend we made stroganoff (recipe to come soon) and in the cool night air after supper, my kids said, “Too bad you didn’t make apple crisp. It’s a good night for it.” Sigh. Missed opportunity, but hey, I made stroganoff. so, there ya go.
Which brings me to this recipe. I have never used Gluten Free Oats, I found these at Trader Joe’s actually for another recipe (coming soon). I wanted to play with them, and here was my opportunity to make that apple crisp. But, with blueberries. I love blueberries, and after being at the Fair, where Apple Crisp is sold in the Vermont Building and Blueberry Pie in the Maine building, it made sense. Let’s mix those two flavors and put an oat crisp topping on it!
A mixture of apples, blueberries, cinnamon and sugar nestled in a ceramic baking dish that has been buttered, cinnamon and sugared, then baked for 25 minutes in the oven, without the topping.
If I were a Rhianna song, I would say my dessert is Nakey-nakey-nakey. But only for half of the baking. I like my apples to be soft but not mush. I always find that if I time the crisp based on the topping, the bottom layer is undercooked.
Apple Blueberry Mixture
That is a personal taste thing. So, I bake the fruit layer first, then add the top crisp layer, and cook for the remaining time. The crisp gets crunchy and brown, the fruit bubbles underneath. Perfection.
The best part of a fruit crisp for me is the combination of the warm spicy compote and the crunchy top layer, complimented with a cold, creamy ice cream topper.
Apple Blueberry Crisp
However, when you finally do bake the crisp and look in the freezer and find…mini ice cream sandwiches, you make due. The fourteen year old wonder that is my daughter took the time to take the chocolate sandwich part off, and place the perfect square of less than perfect vanilla ice cream on top. Well done kid, well done. That’s why you are my favorite (her brother doesn’t read the blog-he knows he’s my favorite too).
While this recipe is definitely is different, it isn’t so out of the box that it I couldn’t share it. I loved the way the oats did not get soggy, and added a nutty flavor to the crisp. Even the next day, the crisp held it’s crunch, and that says something. Cinnamon, Brown Sugar, Oats, Blueberries, Apples, baked together to make a wonderful fall dessert, even if it was a day late.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!
Chrissy
Click below for a printable recipe!
PrintApple Blueberry Crisp
A combination of fruit with a gluten free oatmeal crisp topping!
Ingredients
- 3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced
- 3 Macoun Apples, peeled and sliced
- 2 Cups Blueberries – Fresh or Frozen
- 1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
Oatmeal Crisp Topping
- 1 and 1/2 Cups Gluten Free Oats
- 4–5 Tablespoons Butter
- 1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*
- Prep your baking dish by giving it a coat of butter, then mixing some brown sugar and cinnamon and coat the baking dish. Just like you would with flour only yummier.
- Peel and slice apples and combine with blueberries in a bowl.
- Add cinnamon and brown sugar for apple mixture.
- Place apple and blueberry mixture in baking dish and dot with butter.
- Bake for 25 minutes without topping.
- In a new bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter, mixing until crumbly.
- Remove apple blueberry mixture from oven
- Place crisp topping on now hot apple blueberry mixture and return to oven
- Continue to bake for another 25 -35 minutes. Depending on how bubbly you want your bottom layer.