Crock-pot or Not Blackberry Apple Crisp, Gluten-free, Dairy-free Options

Blackberry Apple Crisp

Here in Western Washington nothing signals summer’s end like blackberry and apple crisp.  Apple crisp and blackberry crisp are great alone, but apples and blackberries are even more tasty together as they are great complements to each other.

In many ways I hate admitting that the long, warm days of summer are melting away (you don’t see me in t-shirts unless it’s 78 degrees F), but knowing we get to enjoy some blackberry and apple crisp somehow cushions the blow.

Slow Cooker Days

And my kids!  Well, my kids are always really excited about blackberry season!  They love going out and picking right in our own backyard.  The dessert they have been eagerly awaiting the most is blackberry pie.  I still haven’t made the pie even though we’ve had the blackberries around for a couple of weeks.  When a pie just seems like too much work, I love to make blackberry crisp (so I have made lots of crisps lately).  When we don’t have enough blackberries to harvest for a crisp, I use apples to complete the filling.

The recipe I am sharing with you today may have double the crisp topping you may normally be used to.  You see, my absolute favorite part of the crisp is the oat mixture, so I wanted to make a crisp recipe that has lots of the oat mixture.  Feel free to use only half of the oat mixture part of the recipe, and store the other half of the oat mixture in the fridge for a second crisp at a later date.

I also wanted to add even more healthy goodness with the addition of the chia seeds, wheat germ, wheat bran and oat bran.  Omit the latter 3 ingredients for a gluten free option.   I leave the peels on the apples for extra nutrients and to save time.

9/5/13 update**  Now that I am dairy-free it’s super easy to make this dairy-free and vegan.  I just sub the butter for coconut oil.  The family doesn’t even notice the difference.

The Verdict:

If you are nuts for nuts like we are, you will find that the addition of nuts is absolutely amazing!  It will take something that is great and make it extraordinary.  If the butter isn’t melting in a way that is covering all of the oats, go ahead and move the butter around to get even melting.

Also, if you like lots of crisp topping, you’ll love how much crisp topping this recipe produces.

Want other blackberry ideas?

GO HERE FOR THE COMPLETE LIST OF RECIPES.

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