Blackberry Crisp with Coconut Crumble

Juicy blackberries coupled with a crispy, flaky coconut crumble makes one lovely tropical-leaning Blackberry Crisp dessert.

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• Why You Will Love This Recipe
• Berry Variations
• How to Make Blackberry Crisp
• Storage
• Recipe FAQs
• More Desserts Recipes to Try
• Blackberry Crisp with Coconut Crumble

I’m not much of a dessert person, much to the chagrin of my husband and in-laws. More for them, I say! Now I’m not a complete nay-sayer when it comes to dessert. I really dig fruit, especially berries (aka nature’s candy). 

My mother-in-law makes a dessert that has quickly became a favorite, dubbed Raspberry Cobbler (which is actually what I would refer to as a Crisp or Crumble - but as Bon Appetit reports, the three names are interchangeable depending on where in the world you are).

My variation is simple and easy to make, needing only a few minor tweaks from the original - namely swapping out the raspberries for blackberries. The tartness of the blackberries balances well with the sugar, and the coconut crumble on top offers a pleasing texture contrast.

I enjoy it so much that it inspired your new favorite dessert - Blackberry Crisp with Coconut Crumble. If you love berries, you've got to try these Raspberry Graham Cracker Bars and Cranberry Walnut Cookies next!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Packed with sweet blackberries. If you’re not a fan of eating raw blackberries, give ‘em a try baked. The heat from cooking mellows blackberries out, transforming the flavor from tart and bitter to mildly sweet.
• Killer combination, blackberry + coconut. We're adding some coconut in the crumble on top of this blackberry crisp. The coconut flakes get nice and toasty and contribute to the crisp texture, while the blackberries balance everything out with mild sweetness.
• Versatile. The beauty of a crisp or crumble is that you can easily change it up with little chance that you will ruin it.

Ingredients

• Blackberries - The star of the show! You'll need 2 pints of the tart, slightly bitter berries.
• Dry ingredients - Including flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt make up the 'base' of the crumble.
• Cinnamon - Technically part of the dry ingredients, but I wanted to call it out specifically because just a little bit of cinnamon brings a welcome warmth to the resulting dessert.
• Unsweetened coconut flakes (I used Bob’s Red Mill) - Coconut flakes get added to the crumble topping, which adds a little something special.
• Egg - One large egg is all you need, it helps hold the crumble topping together, sans butter.
• Coconut extract - I like using coconut extract, but you could also go with standby vanilla extract as well as something with a similar flavor profile like almond.
• Non-stick cooking spray (I used PAM butter flavor) - You'll definitely want to grease up that baking dish well before adding your ingredients to prevent sticking.
• Whipped cream (optional) - Obvious topping choice, one I highly recommend here! But of course, this is optional.

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below - keep scrolling!

Berry Variations

I think coconut pairs well with many other fruits, making this Blackberry Crisp recipe amenable to a few main ingredient tweaks.

• If you're not in the mood for blackberries, you can tag in raspberries or blueberries.
• Or be extra and do a Triple Berry Crisp with blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries.

How to Make Blackberry Crisp

This easy Blackberry Crisp recipe comes together pretty quickly; the hard part is waiting for it to bake so you can eat it. To get started preheat your oven to 350° F and spray a 9-inch pie dish with Pam butter spray to lightly grease the pan.

1. Add the blackberries. Spread the blackberries evenly over the bottom of the sprayed pie dish.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and coconut flakes to a mixing bowl and stir to mix together.
3. Beat the egg. Add the egg and coconut extract to another bowl and whip for 20 seconds with a fork to beat the egg.
4. Combine. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until the wet ingredients are incorporated; you want the mixture to look crumbly.
5. Assemble. Pour the crumble over the blackberries and arrange it in an even layer over the top of the blackberries. Spray the top of the crumble with the PAM butter spray with a light, even layer.
6. Bake: Bake for 30 minutes, or until the crumble is crisp and GBD (golden brown and delicious!). Remove from the oven and let cool.
7. Serve: Enjoy while still warm, with a dollop of homemade whipped cream on top.

PRO TIP: And if you want to get fancy (I sure did!), I recommend whipping up some homemade whipped cream. Homemade Whipped Cream from Live Well Bake Often is stupid easy to execute and incredibly delicious - all you need is heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Or do like I did and sub in coconut extract for the vanilla to accentuate the coconut flavor in the crumble topping.

In researching Cobblers, Crisps and Crumbles, I noticed that most other recipes incorporate butter into the topping. I didn't question the absence of butter in the original recipe provided by my mother-in-law. The egg alone provides a good binder for the crunchy Coconut Crumble topping. And hitting it with a healthy spritz of PAM butter spray beforehand results in a delightfully uniform GBD topping. I guess you say it's a lower-calorie crisp? Meaning you can feel less guilty for eating a solid 50% in one sitting.

Storage

I recommend storing Blackberry Crisp it in the baking dish because why dirty more dishes? Just cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and keep it on the countertop for 24-48 hours. I recommend having leftover cobbler for breakfast :). It has fruit, it's like sorta healthy right?

Recipe FAQs

More Desserts Recipes to Try

If you tried this Blackberry Crisp recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below!

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