Back-to-School Breakfast Crisp

When I recently set out to make a berry crisp for dessert, it struck me that the ingredients I was using weren’t all that different than those required for our favourite pancake mix. In fact, they were almost identical, which got me thinking about making a breakfast crisp once school is back in session.

Here’s the thing — the entire recipe comes together in the time it takes your oven to preheat, and it bakes for 20 minutes, which is just about the time you need to rouse the kids from their beds/take a shower/drink your coffee/check in with online, etc. Basically, it’s only six minutes of work for a hot breakfast to be had.

I swapped the traditional sugar-heavy crisp ingredients for a few tablespoons of pure maple syrup and brown sugar, and used whole-wheat flour and oats in place of the white stuff we often see in dessert. When served with a hearty scoop of protein-laden yogurt, this makes for a healthy start to the day.

I’ve used berries here because that’s what’s in season, but any fruit will work. Consider using plums in the early fall and apples and pears through the winter. Just keep in mind that the cooking time may vary depending on the fruit that’s used, but 20 minutes should be good for most varieties.

Are you starting to think about back-to-school breakfasts? Time to add this breakfast crisp to the list!

Back-to-School Breakfast Crisp Recipe

You’ll Need

3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (or fruit of your choice)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice
6 Tbsp whole-wheat flour
¼ cup rolled oats or chopped nuts
2 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter, softened

Prep and Cook

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Lightly grease an 8” x 8” baking dish and add the blueberries, maple syrup, cornstarch, and lemon juice to the pan, stirring well to combine
In a small mixing bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt
Using your fingers, blend in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal
Sprinkle the crumble topping over the fruit and bake for 20 minutes
Allow to cool five minutes before serving.