Fruity cobblers and crisps make last-minute cooks look like rock stars. Upgrade them with inventive flavors and toppings, and your friends will be convinced you’ve been baking all day
Even if you’re a baking newbie, you can make a cobbler or a crisp (also known as a crumble). For these laid-back treats, there’s no bottom crust or prebaking required— just slice peach, apples, or your other favorite fruit and add a straightforward topping of streusel for crisps or soft dough (biscuits, pastry, or spoon cake) for cobblers. The results are charmingly retro and simply delicious, the way a summer dessert should be.
The recipe for this easy dessert cleverly uses pancake mix to make the top of the cobbler.
Recipe: Dutch-Oven Peach Cobbler
The irresistible buttery, spiced oat topping and perfect balance of sweet to tart in the fruity filling make this a recipe we reach for every summer.
Recipe: Raspberry Rhubarb Crisp
Mace, the lacy outer covering of nutmeg, gives a gentle spice to this cobbler. If you can’t find it, just substitute nutmeg.
Recipe: Apricot Patty-Cake Cobbler
At the height of stone fruit season when everything looks good at the market, there’s no need to limit yourself to one variety. The beauty of this recipe is the mix of flavors.
Wild huckleberries make an especially memorable, intensely flavored dessert, but the recipe is also delicious made with blueberries.
Recipe: Huckleberry Skillet Cobbler
When apricots make their brief appearance in the market, celebrate by baking them with an easy four-spice topping.
Recipe: Fresh Apricot Crisp
Roasted, finely ground nuts add even more richness to this crisp’s buttery topping.
Recipe: Blackberry Hazelnut Honey Crisp
A grill works beautifully for baking this homey dessert. Cook it over gas if you’d like just a hint of smoke, or charcoal for a more pronounced outdoorsy flavor.
Recipe: Grill-Baked Apple Crisp
A touch of sweet marsala wine and candied ginger add a little sophistication.
Just a few ingredients each for the topping and fruit layer make this dessert an easy one to put together.
Recipe: Rhubarb Crisp
Two favorite summer fruits join up for a can’t-miss combination.
Recipe: Raspberry-Rhubarb Crisp
Here’s the classic recipe, with loads of sweet, juicy berries on the bottom and a rich biscuit on top.
Recipe: Blackberry Cobbler
This homey dessert cooks best over a bed of glowing embers, created by moving the low-burning logs of your fire out into a frame. Whipped crème fraîche gives the dessert a touch of sophistication.
Recipe: Campfire Apple Crisp