I am super excited to be writing my very first blog post and sharing this delicious Saskatoon Berry Apple Crisp recipes with you all. The Saskatoon berry is a prairie favourite for a reason. Saskatoon berries have a sweet earthy flavour and are super refreshing on a hot summer day. I love baking with Saskatoon berries but good recipes are often hard to come by as the berries can only be found in the Canadian Prairie provinces. Therefore, I like to try and create my own twists on classic recipes incorporating the berries.

I created this recipe because my moms friends was coming in town who is originally from Saskatoon and now lives in British Columbia. Every time she comes back home she wants something Saskatoon berry. My first thought was to make a Saskatoon berry cheesecake, but I was in the mood to create something a bit lighter for the occasion. Instead I decided to make a Saskatoon berry version of one of my favourite ‘healthier’ desserts, apple crisp.

Let’s get started the Saskatoon Berry Apple Crisp!

To begin, preheat the oven to 350F and combine all the ingredients in the fruit base in a large mixing bowl, as pictured above. I added a larger ratio of Saskatoon berries to apple because I wanted the Saskatoon berries to be the star of this recipe. You could make the ratios of fruit more equal, or even add more apple if you prefer. The cornstarch is necessary to thicken up the berry filling and prevent the crumble from being runny. I use Watkins baking vanilla for most of my general baking recipes.

Below, I combined the ingredients in the crumble together with a pastry cutter. I find using the pastry cutter makes the process of blending all the ingredients together a lot simpler. After the ingredients of the crumble are combined, I like to add pecans for an extra boost of flavour. You can omit the pecans for a nut free version, but I love the flavour of the toasted nuts.

Place the filling in a greased 8×8″ baking dish. Cover the whole dish with an even layer of crumble. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. I like my fruit crisps served warm with vanilla ice cream, especially on a hot summer day like today.

Saskatoon Berry Apple Crisp

Recipe by Michelle Harrison | Prairie WhiskCourse: DessertDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

296

kcal

This Saskatoon Berry Apple Crisp is a prairie twist on a classic recipe. Perfect for a summer barbecue or to cozy up with on a cool fall day.

Ingredients

Filling:
2 medium apples, thinly sliced
4 cups Saskatoon berries
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 8×8″ square baking dish.
Combine the apple, Saskatoon berries, lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch in a large mixing bowl. Pour the filling mixture into the prepared baking dish.
In a separate medium size bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender until the lumps in the mixture are ‘pea-sized.’ If you do not have a pastry blender, you can use a fork or even your hands to break up the butter, the pastry blender is just the easiest tool to use.
Add the pecans to the crumb topping and stir until combined.
Evenly spread the crumb topping over the filling mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the crumb topping is golden brown.
Serve warm with ice cream!

Notes

Want to shop Local in YXE?
Fresh Saskatoon berries can be found at The Berry Barn or Rhodes Raspberries & Black Currants out on Valley Road. Buy cartons of ice cream from local ice cream shops such as homestead ice cream.
Know of another place to shop local using this recipe? Any tips are always welcome in the comments.

I hope you enjoy my first recipe post, and stay tuned for more tasty treats!