Similar to a Southern blackberry cobbler, this Easy Wild Blackberry Crisp with Pecan Streusel recipe is made with juicy berries and topped with a sprinkling of crunchy pecans and oatmeal. Make them in individual serving dishes or one baking dish. Don't have a bramble of wild blackberries in your back yard? Berries from the farmers market or grocery store are delicious in this summer dessert, too!
Wild blackberries grow right behind our house here in Alabama so I have a ready supply of these juicy berries to forage for crisps, cobblers, and jelly-for free!
Fun fact: Did you know the blackberry is Alabama's state fruit? It was named in 2004 after a campaign led by third graders from Fairhope, Alabama. How cool is that!
What's the shortcut?
Baking crisps and cobblers in individual-size ramekins, mini cast iron skillets, baking pans, or pie plates take less time to bake... and less time to pick so many berries.
My tip for cutting butter into thin slices and pressing into sugar, then flour with a fork eliminates the need for a pastry cutter.
The option to use cinnamon-sugar instead of sugar and ground cinnamon eliminates an ingredient. Cinnamon-sugar can be found at the Dollar Tree.
Why make individual-size crisps and cobblers?
- If you are picking wild blackberries, it might be hard to harvest large amounts of fruit at a time needed for a full-size cobbler.
- When you only want to make enough dessert with no leftovers... sigh.
- Buying a basket fresh berries at a farmers market can get expensive. Mini desserts require fewer berries, therefore, they cost less to make.
I include directions in the printable recipe below to make this recipe in a baking dish.
What's the difference in a crisp and a cobbler?
A crisp has a baked fruit base with a simple, crunchy topping typically made of flour, sugar, and butter and sprinkled on top. It often includes nuts and oats. A cobbler has a baked fruit base and topped with biscuit-like dough, dumplings, or pie dough dropped or rolled and place on top before baking. Cobblers sometimes have pie crust on the top and bottom like a double-crust pie.
Can I use berries from the store instead of wild blackberries?
Absolutely! The cup measure will be the same and it will actually take fewer berries in number because wild blackberries are much smaller than store-bought berries.
Can I use frozen berries?
Yes. Frozen blackberries can be substituted for fresh berries. After thawing frozen berries, drain them in a colander. Gently pat them with a paper towel to remove excess water. Frozen berries may produce a bit more syrup when baked, but I'm not complaining about that!
How to make this fruit crisp
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
- Combine blackberries, sugar and water (and vanilla, if using).
- Combine cold butter and sugar with a fork. (See my tip in the printable recipe for not having to use a pastry cutter.)
- Add flour and cinnamon, then add pecans and oats.
- Spoon berries in individual dishes coated with cooking spray or buttered.
- Divide Pecan Streusel evenly over fruit and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Can I make this in one baking dish?
Yes. Simply spoon the berry mixture in a greased 8x8 baking pan or dish or 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Then, sprinkle the streusel topping over the berry mixture. Bake for 35 minutes or until lightly browned on top and liquid is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
What else can I make with wild blackberries?
Any recipe that calls for blackberries and raspberries can be made with wild blackberries. Here are some ideas.
- Jelly and jam (Sure Jell pectin package directions for berries)
- Halfway Homemade Blackberry Vinaigrette
- Flavored vinegar
- Flavored syrup
- Muffins, pancakes
- Juice
- Pie, cobbler, slump, grunt, and Betty
- Wine and liqueur
- Fruit Salad
- Jarcuterie (Charcuterie in a jar)
- Fruit leather
Tips and Substitutions
- Make a Mixed Berry Crisp by combining any combination of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.
- Try peanuts, almonds, pistachios or walnuts instead of pecans.
- Quick-cooking oats can be used in place of old-fashioned oats. I don't recommend steel-cut oats for this recipe because they take much longer to cook.
- Gluten-Free version: For the streusel topping, trade out the all-purpose flour with almond flour.
- This recipe can be made in an 8x8-inch baking dish, if you prefer one larger dessert to mini desserts. Directions in the NOTES of the printable recipe below.
- Be sure to let the crisps cool at least 5 minutes right out of the oven. The hot blackberry syrupy liquid will thicken slightly.
- My shallow (1-cup) creme brulee dishes do not match. I often buy them at thrift stores.
How to pick wild blackberries
Growing up in Evening Shade, Arkansas, we kids would strap on a plastic gallon milk jug by the handle with the top cut out to our belts and head to the wild blackberry patches down Bear Creek Road. The jug would sit just below our waist and we would have both hands free to pick berries....and pick the briars off that would latch on to our skin and clothes with a vengeance.
We would sell a WHOLE GALLON of berries for seventy five cents. That was hard earned money, right there! (I remember eating almost more than I picked so my Mom had to supplement my jug to have a full gallon).
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More summer desserts you will love
Easy Wild Blackberry Crisp with Pecan Streusel
Equipment
- Creme brulee ramekins or shallow 1 cup baking dishes.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 3 cups fresh wild blackberries* (Blackberries don't have to be wild)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water (This helps create the yummy syrup.)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Pecan Streusel
- 4 tablespoons cold salted butter (Not margarine)
- 1/4 cup granulated or brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 1/3 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 4 shallow (1 cup) creme brulee dishes or ramekins with cooking spray or butter them lightly.
- Combine berries, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and water in a bowl. Add vanilla, if using. Gently stir to coat the berries. Set aside. The sugar water will macerate (pull out the natural juices) the blackberries.
Pecan Streusel
- Remove paper wrapping on the half stick of butter. Cut the butter in thin slices on a rimmed plate or shallow bowl. Add sugar and mash the butter into the sugar with a fork. Add the flour and cinnamon and blend it in quickly with the fork. This mixture should be crumbly, not paste-like. Make sure your butter is cold.You can also use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the sugar and flour but this helpful method is perfect if you don't own a pastry cutter.
- Add the pecans and oats to the streusel mixture, stirring with the fork to combine.
- Give the blackberry mixture a quick stir to coat the berries. Divide the mixture evenly into the four shallow dishes. Sprinkle the Pecan Streusel evenly over the blackberry mixture. It will look like a lot of streusel topping but trust me, it melts into berries and the flour will thicken liquid as it bakes.
- Place the dishes on a foil or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Don't worry if they bubble over a bit, that is part of the beauty of this dish! That purple syrup is gorgeous and we eat with our eyes first!
- Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until lightly golden on top and liquid is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Make a Mixed Berry Crisp by combining any combination of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.
- Try peanuts, almonds, pistachios or walnuts instead of toasted pecans.
- Rolled oats (old-fashioned) can be used in place of quick-cooking oats. I don't recommend steel-cut oats for this recipe because they take much longer to cook.
- Gluten-Free version: For the filling, trade out the 1 tablespoon flour with 2 teaspoons cornstarch. For the streusel topping, trade out the all-purpose flour with almond flour.
- Be sure to let the crisps cool at least 5 minutes right out of the oven. The hot blackberry syrupy liquid will thicken slightly.
- Cinnamon sugar can be used instead of sugar and cinnamon in the streusel mixture to save one ingredient.
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