A breakfast fruit crisp made up of tender, cinnamon spiced apples baked with a whole grain oat and almond topping. Delicious served with a dollop of yogurt and drizzle of maple syrup.
I know what you’re thinking … a fruit crisp, for breakfast? Yes, my friends, and I can’t believe I hadn’t done this sooner. There are several things that make this fruit crisp fall into the “breakfast” category instead of “dessert.” The topping is made from whole grains (both whole wheat flour and oats), the sugar is reduced in both the topping and the filling, and instead of serving this with ice cream, as you would for dessert, I served it with a dollop of yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup. The combination of soft, cinnamon-spiced apples along with the nutty, crunchy topping is divine. I love the contrast of the warm fruit with cool yogurt. So good!
For me, this fruit crisp is the perfect breakfast. It feels healthy and slightly indulgent at the same time. If you’re in a breakfast rut, you must give this a try. I made this as our Sunday morning breakfast and the leftovers kept well in the fridge. It was fantastic to scoop and heat a serving at a time throughout the week as we wanted it (you can eat it cold too – straight from the fridge). I will definitely be making this again, and as the seasons change, I look forward to adapting it with different berries or stone fruits. Check back for those. 🙂
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Apple, Oat & Almond Breakfast Crisp
Ingredients
Topping:
- 1 1/2 cups sliced raw almonds divided
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons milk
Filling:
- 6 medium sweet apples peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks (about 7 cups ) - see note below
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Optional toppings:
- yogurt for serving
- pure maple syrup for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Butter or spray the inside of a 2 or 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Set aside.
For the topping:
- Put 1 cup of almonds in a food processor, fitted with the metal blade. Pulse several times, until the almonds turn into a medium-fine almond meal. Add the flour, oats, baking powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and pulse a few more times. Add in butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk and pulse several more times until combined. Dump the topping into a bowl and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of almonds. Refrigerate the topping while you prepare the filling.
For the filling:
- Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Stir several times, until the sugar and cornstarch has been absorbed. Taste a piece of apple and determine if you'd like the filling a little sweeter. If so, add another a tablespoon or two of sugar and stir to combine. Pour the filling into the prepared baking dish.
- Pour the topping evenly over the apples. I like to pinch some of the topping between my thumb and forefinger to help create some clumps in the topping. I think it adds a nice texture.
- Place the apple crisp in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the apples are soft. Allow to cool slightly and serve warm with a dollop of yogurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Recipe Notes
A note about the apples: Use whatever type of apples you prefer to bake with - a combination is good too. I only peeled half of my apples and left the other half unpeeled. The peel added nice texture and color and boosted the fiber and vitamins in this dish.
Topping adapted from Whole Grain Mornings
I’d love to start my day with this!