This Easy Cast-Iron Skillet Cherry and Berry Crumble can be made with fresh or frozen berries and cherries making this a treat good for all year round!
A Perfect Dessert for This Time of Year
When summer berries and cherries hit the farm stands this time of year I get so excited. This skillet berry crisp has an addition of summertime cherries that gives just the right amount of sweetness for summer gatherings. I also like that I can make something that is close to pie without making the pie crust. A mixed berry crisp is my favorite way to make a dessert quickly for an impromptu gathering.
What’s the Difference Between a Crisp, a Crumble, and a Cobbler?
Many of us have likely all heard these names before but what is the difference between a crisp, a crumble, and a cobbler? Crisps, crumbles, and cobblers, at the heart of it all, are all baked fruit-based desserts topped with some version of a golden, crisp topping. The fruit juices bubble up into the pastry as it bakes, forming little pockets of deliciousness that gives most of these desserts their signature pockmarked appearance.
Small Differences, Still Delicious Outcomes
Only minor differences in the topping formation distinguish these dishes from one another. All of them still make for a deliciously easy dessert. Where they differ:
- Fruit Crisps: Topping typically contains oats within the crumble mixture, yielding a crisp topping. Hence the name.
- Fruit Crumbles: Topping will use a streusel sans oats. It’s crumbly in nature with the buttery clusters that form during the bake.
- Fruit Cobblers: Topping will typically have a buttery, flaky biscuit covering the cooked fruit. The biscuits are usually dropped onto the fruit in small rounds, giving it the appearance of a cobbled road, giving it its famous name.
This is a rustic dessert that is ready relatively quickly and is a beautiful way to showcase ripe fruit while serving a large crowd. Serve it up in a small bowl for each guest, top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and we’re in business. Scroll down to see how we make this version using the best of California’s berries and cherries.
Ingredients for the Easy Cast-Iron Skillet Cherry and Berry Crisp
First, we’ll need a good 12-inch cast-iron skillet for this. The heavy bottom pan retains heat and cooks evenly making this crisp a delicious one for a rustic dessert. Here is the list of ingredients we’ll need to make these luscious desserts:
- Any combination of berries and cherries: We’re using frozen here from past farmer’s market hauls but feel free to use fresh berries or your favorite berries from the freezer section of the grocer.
- Unsalted Butter: I like unsalted butter simply so I can control the amount of salt I add to a given recipe. If opting to make this dairy-free or vegan, swap out for your favorite vegan butter. You could also opt for a mild-blend olive oil, thought the crisp crumbles may not hold together as well as with butter but it will still work.
- Orange Zest and Almond Extract: The combination of orange and almond here work beautifully with the different kinds of berries and cherries.
Preparing the Easy Cast-Iron Skillet Cherry and Berry Crisp
This easy dessert can be ready in under an hour. Here’s a quick summary of how we put it all together:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large 12-inch cast iron skillet, warm butter over medium heat until melted. Add frozen fruit and season with light brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Cook the fruit down until thawed and juices release, about 7 minutes. Gently mash fruit with the back of a wooden spoon. Add corn starch and stir well until mixture begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat and add in orange zest, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Set aside to prepare the oat crisp topping.
- To prepare the oat crisp topping, whisk together the dry ingredients of all purpose flour (you can also use gluten-free flour), brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and kosher salt in a large bowl. Add the small cubes of butter and use a pastry cutter, or your hands, to work dry mixture into the cold butter until pea size lumps begin to the form. Add rolled oats and mix again until clumpy; the oat mixture should look crumbly with clusters forming and holding their shape on account of the butter.
- Top the berry and cherry base with the prepared oat crumble topping and place the skillet on a large baking tray before baking in the oven. This will prevent any spillage from getting onto the oven bottom.
- Bake the fruit crisp for 30-40 minutes checking at 30 minutes. Bake until golden brown and bubbly. Cool slightly before serving warm with your favorite scoop of ice cream.
This simple cast iron dessert is a great way to enjoy your favorite berries during peak season. This fruit dessert is highly adaptable so try this as a skillet blueberry crisp or a triple berry crisp with raspberries, fresh blueberries, and sweet strawberries. Or change up the crisp recipe and use stone fruit to make peach crisps or plum crisp. However you slice it, this is sure to become a part of your favorite desserts.
More Summertime Dessert Ideas
There are plenty more desserts to love when seasonal produce is at its peak. Here are a few favorites:
- Strawberry Peach Compote
- Blood Orange and Almond Olive Oil Snack Cake
- Guava and Cream Cheese Pastries
Easy Cast-Iron Skillet Cherry and Berry Crisp
Equipment
- 1 large cast-iron skillet about 12 inches in diameter
Ingredients
Berry Cherry Base
- 3 cups frozen cherries
- 3 cups frozen whole strawberries
- 2 cup frozen blueberries
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of one orange
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Oat Crisp Topping
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cubed
- Generous pinch kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large 12-inch cast-iron skillet, warm butter over medium heat until melted. Add frozen fruit and season with light brown sugar and salt. Cook the fruit down until thawed and juices release, about 7 minutes. Gently mash fruit with the back of a wooden spoon. Add cornstarch and stir well until mixture begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat and add in orange zest and almond extract. Set aside to prepare the oat crisp topping.
- To prepare the oat crisp topping, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt in a large bowl. Add the cubes of butter and use a pastry blender, or your hands, to work dry mixture into the butter until pea size lumps begin to the form. Add rolled oats and mix again until clumpy; it should look crumbly with oat clusters forming and holding their shape on account of the butter.
- Top the berry and cherry base with the prepared oat crisp topping and place the skillet on a large baking tray before baking in the oven. This will prevent any spillage from getting onto the oven bottom.
- Bake the crisp for 30-40 minutes checking at 30 minutes. Bake until golden brown and bubbly. Cool slightly before serving warm with your favorite vanilla ice cream.
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