Easy Mixed Berry Crumble

By Heather | May 4, 2020 |

Use a few bags of frozen mixed berries and a handful of other basic ingredients to make this simple but delicious dessert. Easy Mixed Berry Crumble is a healthier version of the classic, comforting dessert. Get the kids into the kitchen to whip up this naturally sweetened dish for a special occasion or just a weekday treat. It’s even healthy enough to eat the leftovers for breakfast. Yum!

Kids in the Kitchen: Easy Mixed Berry Crumble

Add berries. Don’t overlook simple tasks when cooking with kids. Kids can cut the bags of frozen berries open with scissors and dump them into the pan.
Measure and add to the bowl. While the berries are cooking, kids can help measure the dry ingredients into a bowl and cut the butter into small pieces with a child-safe knife.
Squish that butter! It gets a little messy but if you’re up for it, using finger tips to press the butter into the dry ingredients is a great activity for kids. Just be sure to start with clean hands and have a dish towel near by.
Crumble the topping. Being careful not to touch the hot pan, kids can sprinkle the mixed topping over the cooked fruit in the pan. Explain that all the fruit needs to be covered by the yummy “cookie crumbles” so that the topping is evenly distributed.

Subs and Tips for Making Mixed Berry Crumble:

Dairy-free? Feel free to sub the butter for the same amount of coconut oil.
No oats? Use the same amount of any finely chopped nuts. Almonds or walnuts would be great choices, but any kind you like will work.
Gluten-free? Use the same amount of gluten free flour mix to sub for the wheat flour.
Only serving a few people? I love having leftovers of this dessert in the fridge to heat up for another night or even eat cold for breakfast. However, you can also easily halve the recipe and use a smaller 8 or 9-inch skillet.
No frozen berries? You can use any frozen fruit…peaches, cherries, only blueberries. Cooking times for the fruit might vary from the instructions below.
Top it off! Vanilla ice cream is a seriously delicious addition to the warm crumble but you could also top it with some thick Greek yogurt or lightly sweetened whipped cream too. But it is great as is too!

Easy Mixed Berry Crumble

Frozen berries and a crunchy topping make for a delicious easy dessert.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Equipment

10-to-12-inch oven-safe skillet

Ingredients

3 pounds frozen mixed berries
6 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
2 Tbsp corn starch or tapioca flour

Cumble Topping

1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or gluten-free blend
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp fine salt omit if your butter is salted
1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
3 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
8 Tbsp cold butter or coconut oil cut into small pieces

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place all the frozen berries into a large, oven-safe skillet, about 10-to-12 inches wide. Cut any large strawberries in half to reduce cooking time. Simmer berries until liquid reduces and juices have thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in maple syrup and corn starch and cook for an additional 2 minutes to thicken.
While berries cook, make crumble topping. Add flour, oats, cinnamon, salt, and coconut sugar to a large bowl. Stir ingredients together to combine. Stir in maple syrup then pinch the butter into the flour mixture with your finger tips. Keep pinching and squeezing until all the butter is mixed in and it looks like wet, crumbly sand.
Once berry mixture is thick and bubbly, evenly crumble the toppping over the pan. Bake until the topping is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Enjoy warm or room temperature.