Blackberry Peach Crisp with Brown Sugar-Oat Topping

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This blackberry peach crisp recipe is one of my favorite desserts to make during the summer. It highlights delicious in-season fruit and it's not too heavy--the perfect summer dessert for especially warm days. I love to serve it warm topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Blue-rimmed white enamel pan with blackberry and peach crisp topped with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. — Photo by Mary Britton Senseney

Growing up, there were several summers when my family and I would stay in a cabin on Lake Glenville, North Carolina. My cousins and I would always try and see who could find the most wild blackberries.

By the end of the week, we would have gathered enough berries to make a small blackberry crisp, and it was the perfect dessert to end our summer meal. Here, I've added a natural partner to blackberries: sweet summer peaches.

Here, I've added a natural partner to blackberries: sweet summer peaches. At the first sign of peach season, I'm always so excited to visit one of our local farmer's markets and grab first-of-the-season South Carolina sweet peaches.

They really do make this classic summertime dessert that much better. You may also want to check out these Peach Crisp Popsicles. All of the flavors of the delicious fruit dessert are in a frosty popsicle form.

This recipe is from my cookbook, The Duke's Mayonnaise Cookbook. If you'd like to check out some other recipes from my book, be sure to check out my Ultimate Cheeseburger recipe and Savory Green Tomato Pie.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Tasty tip
Frequently asked questions
Related
Even more
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Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
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Ingredients

Before we get started, let’s gather the ingredients we need for this recipe:

Fresh blackberries
Fresh peaches
Lemon juice
Light brown sugar
Cornstarch
Granulated sugar
All-purpose flour
Old-fashioned oats
Duke's mayonnaise
Ground cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we've gathered all the ingredients, it's time to get baking!

Stirring together the brown sugar-oatmeal topping in a clear bowl.

First, make the brown sugar-oatmeal topping.

Squeezing the brown sugar- oatmeal topping into clumps.

Then, squeeze the mixture to create large clumps.

Tossing together blackberries, peaches, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a clear bowl with a green spatula.

Next, toss together the blackberries, peaches, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a separate bowl.

Sprinkling the brown sugar-oatmeal topping over the peaches and blackberries in a white pan with blue rim.

Finally, transfer to a skillet or baking dish and sprinkle with the brown sugar-oatmeal topping. Bake until bubbly and serve with ice cream.

Hint: If you have super ripe and juicy peaches, you may want to add a little more cornstarch to ensure that the fruit juices in the filling get thick.

Substitutions

Spoiler alert! There are so many ways to change up this recipe. Here are some more options:

Frozen fruit - Craving this dessert in the middle of winter? Not to worry--pick up frozen blackberries and peaches from your grocery store instead. Just be sure to thaw them for the best results.
Other fruit - The great thing about this recipe is you can use whatever fruit your heart desires, and it doesn't have to be just summer fruit. Peeled sliced apples, blueberries, cranberries, pears, nectarines...the possibilities are endless.
Nuts - Add your favorite chopped nuts to the topping. I love pecans and almonds.

Variations

Here are some more variations for this blackberry peach crisp recipe:

Crumble - Not a fan of oats? That's okay--omit them and now you have a crumble.
Mini - Divide the filling and topping between individual serving dishes and reduce the baking time by 10 to 15 minutes.
Ice Cream - Top this blackberry peach crisp with another ice cream flavor besides vanilla. Butter pecan and lemon custard are some of my favorites.

Equipment

Here's what you'll need to make this recipe:

mixing bowl set
2-quart baking dish
dry measuring cups
measuring spoons

Storage

If you plan on eating this dessert right away, cover the crisp (after it's cooled) and let it stand at room temperature overnight. You can also cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days.

To freeze leftovers, store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Tasty tip

To prevent spills on the bottom of the oven, I place a baking sheet on the rack below the baking dish. That way if the fruit filling bubbles over, it lands on the baking sheet and is much easier to clean.

Frequently asked questions

Does blackberry peach crisp need to be refrigerated?

If you don't plan on eating all the blackberry peach crisp quickly, I recommend refrigerating leftovers for up to 4 days.

What is the difference between a peach crumble and a peach crisp?

This is a great question! Crumbles and crisps are very similar except that the topping for a crisp includes oats in the mixture and a crumble doesn't.

Can you leave berry crisp out overnight?

Yes! You can leave berry crisp out overnight. Just be sure to cover it tightly. If you still have leftovers after 1 day, store the blackberry peach crisp in the refrigerator.

How do you keep fruit crisp from getting soggy?

There are a couple of things you can do to prevent a fruit crisp from becoming soggy. First, make sure the fruit crisp is cooled to room temperature before putting in the fridge. If it is warm or hot and covered, steam will cause the topping to get soggy. Second, make sure the ratio of fat to flour and sugar isn't too high. (This is why I like to use Duke's in my crisp topping.)

Why is my peach crisp runny?

If the filling of your peach crisp is runny, it probably means you have excellent ripe peaches and need to add more cornstarch to thicken it.

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Even more

Check out some more of my favorite recipes:

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