A lot of my days begin and end with something in common. Fruit!
My favorite dessert to make is my fruit crisp, which is a great way to use up whatever I have lying around on the counter or in the fridge. After trying a bunch of healthier modifications of the crisp (narrowing the ingredient list, lessening the sugar, etc.), I realized that it would actually be WONDERFUL as a breakfast too! Since starting the day out with a bunch of refined sugar is not the best idea, the only two ingredients I put in the filling are a lot of fresh fruit and a tiny bit of raw honey.
The topping is a delicious blend of nuts, oats, and whole grain flour. I add a little organic cane sugar for flavor and greek yogurt to keep the crust soft and tender and minimize the amount of butter used. A healthy oil like coconut oil could easily be substituted for the butter if you prefer it. The result is a deliciously textured, hearty crust on top of a heap of juicy fruit.
It’s a breakfast dream.
This is essentially just a magical way of eating a big bowl of fruit with nuts and oats on top. Why didn’t I think of this earlier?!
- Crust
- 3/4 c. old fashioned oats
- 3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 c. chopped nuts (I use a combo of walnuts, peanuts, and slivered almonds)
- 1/3 c. greek yogurt
- 1/4 c. milk (I used soy, but dairy is fine)
- 2 T. butter or buttery spread, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 2 t. baking powder
- Filling
- 6 c. diced fresh fruit
- 1 T. honey (you can add more to taste)
- Preheat oven to 375.
- To make the filling, drizzle the honey over the diced fruit in a large bowl. Toss gently to coat and set aside.
- To make the crust, pulse together all the crust ingredients until the mixture starts to form large clumps.
- Spray a large, shallow baking dish (a casserole dish or cake pan would work well) with nonstick spray.
- Pour the fruit filling into the baking dish.
- Use your hands to place small clusters of the crust all over the top of the fruit until the surface is covered.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling all over and the crust is golden brown. If the crust browns too quickly, cover the cobbler with foil and return it to the oven to finish cooking.
- Let the cobbler rest for at least 30 minutes before scooping and serving (letting it cool allows the fruit juices to thicken a little more).
You could make this with any combination of fruits that are your favorite or that are in season. Softer types like stone fruit and berries will cook faster, which is why for this one I used strawberries, raspberries, and nectarines. You can also add whatever nuts you like (flax seeds would add a great nutritional boost!) in the topping–this time I used a combo of peanuts, walnuts, and sliced almonds.
The recipe makes a huge amount, so for breakfast you can just grab a scoop out and give it a quick reheat for an instant meal! Perfect for sleepy mornings and busy people.
I mean…anything that looks like dessert that I can eat for breakfast is a win in my book.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to being in furious denial about summer ending.
-Lauren