I had two things in mind when I brought a big bag of handpicked blackberries back with me from Washington. Homemade jam and blackberry crisp. The former is just not going to happen. Life continues to be full (and fun!) with my two little ones and so new adventures in canning will have to wait. But, the blackberry crisp was definitely going to happen. And last weekend, it did.

The recipe couldn’t be easier. I was skeptical at first because it looked too “healthy.” A ton of oats? Almond meal? But, I knew all along that we would be topping the crisp, warm out of the oven, with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, and so it seemed like a good thing that the crisp not be overly sweet and rich. It turns out that I was right. The crisp was perfect.

Besides almond meal, the recipe calls for things like coconut oil and maple syrup. If you don’t have these things on hand, I think that flour, softened butter, and brown sugar would make perfectly fine substitutes. I will say though that I felt pretty good letting Caleb snack on such a healthy crisp topping while we were putting it together. He loved it! It was a foreshadowing of deliciousness to come.

Blackberry Crisp, adapted from Green Kitchen Stories 

4 cups blackberries, frozen is fine
1/4 cup sugar (can be omitted or adjusted to your liking)
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
5 tablespoons almond meal
a pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
5 tablespoons coconut oil, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place blackberries into a pie dish, or any baking dish the equivalent size. Add sugar on top and mix together.

In a separate dish, add oats, almond meal, and salt. Stir together. Add vanilla, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Mix together with your hands, then spread out on top of the blackberries.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the blackberries are bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Please, oh please, eat this with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the company of people you love.