Apricot Crisp Recipe (Fresh Dessert)

Recipe updated: April 5th, 2024

This apricot crisp recipe is made without rolled oats. It’s an easy dessert to make, and so delicious. Prepare the fruit filling and the crumbly crisp topping, then pour the fruit filling into the baking dish, and sprinkle the crisp topping on the top of it, then bake. Voilà, a beautiful apricot crisp dessert that tastes amazing.

Serve this juicy apricot crumble dessert whenever you want to, and especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped topping for a whole new experience of deliciousness! The golden brown crispy topping compliments the sweet apricots, making this one of my favorite dessert recipes, along with peach pie, and peach cobbler.

🔍 What’s in this Apricot Crisp Recipe?

This apricot dessert recipe does not contain rolled oats (oatmeal). The fruit filling includes fresh ripe apricots, lemon juice, vanilla extract, flour, and sugar. And the delicious crisp topping includes flour crumbled together with brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, butter, and cream cheese. It’s a yummy combination!

🔪 Key Ingredients

The Crisp Topping

• 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup golden brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) unsalted – room temperature
• 4 ounces of brick cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1/2 teaspoon of table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

The Fruit Filling

• 12 fresh apricots (unpeeled – remove pits)
• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

👩‍🍳 How to Make Apricot Crisp

These step-by-step instructions are accompanied by detailed photos for enhanced clarity and guidance.

Step 1. Preheat Oven

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2. Prepare the Crisp Topping

In a large bowl, put 3/4 cup of all purpose flour together with 3/4 cup of golden brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, then mix well until blended nicely. Set the flour mixture aside for now.

Step 3. Add the Butter and Cream Cheese

Slice 1/2 cup of unsalted butter and 4 ounces of cream cheese into pieces, then add the butter pieces and the cream cheese pieces together with the flour mixture we set aside earlier.

Step 4. Mix the Crisp Topping

With your bare hands (or use food handlers kitchen gloves), a fork, or a pastry cutter, mix the butter and cream cheese pieces together with the flour mixture until it turns into a lumpy crumbly mixture. Do not over mix. It should be lumpy and crumbly, with bits of butter and cream cheese showing. Set the crisp topping mixture aside for now.

Note: If you would like to add rolled oats (also known as old-fashioned oats) to the crumble mixture, now is the perfect time to do so. About 3/4 to 1 cup of rolled oats should do just fine. Add the oat mixture last, then blend it into the crumble mixture. This way, the oats won’t break apart during the mixing process.

Step 5. Prepare the Apricots

We washed 12 apricots under cold running water, but we did not peel them. You can peel the apricots if you prefer. After washing the apricots, use a cutting board and a sharp knife to cut them in half. An apricot is a stone fruit or drupe, so remove the stone (we know them as the seed or pit) in each apricot and discard it in the trash, then cut the apricots into cubes or chunks.

Note: Summer fruit is the best, but if you can’t buy fresh local apricots, it is perfectly fine to use canned apricots from the grocery store instead of fresh, especially when the apricot season is over. Depending on how much sugar is added to a can of apricots, you may have to use a little less sugar for the filling in this fresh apricot crisp recipe.

Step 6. Put the Fruit Filling Ingredients and Apricots in a Bowl

In a large bowl, put 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour together with 1/3 cup of granulated sugar. Then add the cut-up apricots to the bowl.

Step 7. Blend the Fruit Filling Ingredients Together

With a spoon or spatula, toss the lemon juice, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, and granulated sugar together with the apricots until well blended. Set the fruit filling aside for just a minute.

Note: Tossing the apricot fruit filling with the lemon jucie mixture will produce a bit of liquid from the apricots, which is totally normal.

Step 8. Prepare the Baking Dish

Spread a thin layer of butter on the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch cake pan or glass baking dish. You can use non-stick cooking spray instead of butter if you prefer. Pour the apricot fruit filling we just prepared, evenly into the greased pan.

Step 9. Sprinkle the Crisp Topping Mixture on the Apricot Fruit Filling

With a spoon, sprinkle the crisp topping mixture we set aside earlier, evenly on top of the apricot fruit filling.

Step 10. Bake the Apricot Crisp

Put the apricot crisp into the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is hot and bubbly. It looks so amazing straight out of the oven. It tastes delicious and makes the house smell so wonderful.

✨ Recipe Variations

• Add a pinch of nutmeg when preparing the fruit filling.
• Sprinkle some lemon zest on top of the apricot crisp before baking.
• You can make an oat topping by adding about 3/4 to one cup of old-fashioned oats (rolled oats) to the crisp topping ingredients.
• Add 1/3 cup of raisins or 1/3 cup of chopped pecans (or both) to the fruit filling.

FAQs

💭 Final Thoughts

The next time you want to make something special for your family or friends, give this delicious apricot fruit dessert a try. It’s a delightful treat with cream cheese mixed into the crumbly topping making it taste so fantastic.

Apricot crisp is delicious all by itself or together with a dollop of your favorite ice cream or whipped topping. It’s a tart yet sweet treat however you serve it, whether it’s served straight out of the oven, or cold the next morning. You surely can’t go wrong with this one. Enjoy!

📝 Recipe Card

🥰 More New Recipe Ideas You Will Love

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