Pear Apple Oat Crisp

Is this breakfast or dessert?  You decide.  I've been loving the local apples and pears at the farmer's market during the past month and have been experimenting with roasting and baking them.  I've completely fallen for this crisp recipe and have been known to eat it at any time of the day.  If your local orchard sells "seconds," grab them and make this recipe.   

I've tested this crisp recipe using lots of different variations, but my favorite version has a combination of apples and pears with a good helping of dried cranberries mixed in.  I was also pleasantly surprised with the version where I added some baked sweet potato in place of some of the apple and pear.  The sweet potato is soft and creamy and added an almost pumpkin-like flavor and texture to the dish without making it mushy. 


I'm usually pretty strict about my breakfast routine during the week - a smoothie made with fresh greens, carrots, ginger, flaxmeal, and whatever fresh or frozen fruit we have in the refrigerator - but this dish is such a lovely breakfast treat on the weekends.  Since I prefer cold "cereal" for breakfast, leftovers are my favorite way to eat this in the morning.  

For dessert, you can serve the crisp warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or gelato.  Or make up some cold "yogurt cream" like I do by blending yogurt, ice, a handful of cashews, and fruit (fresh, frozen, dried - your choice!) in the blender until smooth.  Then pour the cold "cream" over the top of your crisp and let the oats soak up the liquid.  Top with some chopped toasted walnuts, and the texture is just about perfect.

Pear Apple Oat Crisp (8 servings) 

Juice and zest of one small Meyer lemon (or half of a standard lemon)

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

4 pears, peeled if not organic

2 apples, peeled if not organic

¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped into ¼-inch pieces 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

2 Tablespoons honey

2 Tablespoons molasses (or maple syrup)

1.5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats or spelt flakes (or a combination of the two)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

For serving: toasted walnuts, cinnamon, vanilla ice cream or yogurt (see notes above)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Grate the zest of the lemon and squeeze its juice into the bottom of an 8 x 8 glass baking dish.  Grate the fresh ginger into the dish and set aside. 

Chop the pears and apples into 3/4-inch pieces and place the chopped fruit and dried cranberries in the baking dish with the lemon juice, zest, and ginger mixture.  When all the fruit is in the dish, toss the fruit in the juice mixture so that all the pieces are coated.  Add ½ cup of the oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1 Tablespoon honey, and 1 Tablespoon molasses. Stir to combine. 

Place the remaining 1 cup of oats to a separate bowl and add the olive oil and the remaining 1 Tablespoon of honey and 1 Tablespoon of molasses to the oats.  Stir to coat the oats in the mixture.  Add the oat topping to the top of the fruit mixture. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes to 1 hour, until the fruit is tender and the topping is browned.  Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.   

Nutrition facts for one serving using rolled oats:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 185 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  192 Calories from Fat  27

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  2.9g 5%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  5mg 0%

Total Carbohydrates  42.0g 14%

Dietary Fiber  6.2g 25%

Sugars  22.4g

Protein  2.6g

Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 14% Calcium 3% • Iron 7%

Nutrition facts for one serving using spelt flakes: 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 177 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  154 Calories from Fat  19

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  2.1g 3%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  41mg 2%

Total Carbohydrates  36.6g 12%

Dietary Fiber  5.4g 22%

Sugars  23.0g

Protein  1.3g

Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 14% Calcium 3% • Iron 4%