When I find something that I like, I want it in every color. Thirty years ago it was pocket tees from the GAP. Fifteen years ago it was Old Navy $5 flip-flops. Now it appears to be fruit crisps.

You may be aware of my tried-and-true Wineberry Crisp recipe that I came up with as a way to deal with our annual wineberry bounty. I’ve made that nearly every year in recent memory, sometimes two or three times. But I’ve also used the basic recipe as a starting point for other ~~colors~~ varieties, including:

Strawberry Crisp
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Summer Berry Crisp (same as the original but without peaches)
Apple Crisp (made with a several apple varieties, and a bit of cinnamon added to the crisp topping)
Ginger Peach and Plum Crisp (which I dreamt up yesterday, and will tell you about now)

Let me start by telling you about an old recipe I remember making back when I was a mere child of twenty-five 😁. It was called “Gingered Pear and Plum Brown Betty,” and I found it in the September 1995 issue of Cooking Light magazine. To be honest, I don’t remember a whole lot about how the recipe tasted, but I remember the name of it, and I know I posted about it on my Bulletin Board System (the original Polka Dot Cottage) in July 1996. So it was probably good.

I started thinking about that recipe when I was considering alternate crisp fillings. I figured I could take the flavors from the brown betty recipe and use them in my crisp recipe. Mmmm, that would be delicious. So, I made up my mind and headed out to buy ingredients.

About an hour later, after I’d already been to the grocery store, after I’d already cut up the peaches, and after I’d already begun coating them in granulated sugar, I realized something: the recipe was “Gingered PEAR and Plum Brown Betty.” It was not “Gingered PEACH and Plum Brown Betty” 🤦🏻‍♀️

Oh, geez. Every time I read, said, or thought pear my brain translated it to peach.

By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late to turn back. So I told myself that peaches and plums sounded like a lovely combination anyway. I continued preparing the ingredients, and hoped for the best.

I’m happy to say it all worked out rather nicely.

I thought the final result tasted quite good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. And the crisp got some positive comments at the family gathering I brought it to. So, phew!

I could wonder what is wrong with me that I kept thinking of the wrong fruit, or maybe I should just take it as a sign that my brain knew all along that this was going to be a delicious combination. It was just trying to steer me in the right direction! Yeah, let’s go with that.

Regardless of how it came about, it’s enough of a keeper that I feel like sharing it 🙂

One thing I will note is that the ginger is quite subtle. I didn’t want to overwhelm the topping so I erred on the side of fewer ginger snaps. If you want a more prominent gingery bite, I recommend adding a bit of ground ginger to the dry ingredients. Maybe half a teaspoon?

Ginger Peach and Plum Crisp

A stone fruit fruit crisp with a hint of ginger

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 10

Course Dessert

Servings 16

Calories 176 kcal

Ingredients

2 large White Peaches
1 large Yellow Peach
3 Plums
1/4 cup Granulated sugar
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Featherweight baking powder
3/4 cup Brown sugar packed
1/2 cup Ginger snap crumbs
1 cup Oats old-fashioned, rolled
1/2 cup Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cut the peaches and plums into small bits and throw those in a big bowl. Sprinkle the granulated sugar over them, stir, and set aside.
Transfer the fruit mixture to one large baking dish, or multiple smaller baking dishes for easy sharing.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and cookie crumbs. Add the oats and combine. Melt the buttery stick. Add it to the dry ingredients, a little at a time, tossing between each addition. Mix until you have a large crumb. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit.
Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Decrease the temperature to 325°F and bake for 20 minutes longer, or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling up around the sides. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Notes

If you are not watching your salt intake, you can replace the featherweight baking powder with regular baking powder.

The vegan buttery sticks can be replaced with salted butter, but be aware that doing so will double the saturated fat content of each serving and the recipe will no longer be dairy-free or vegan.

The ginger is subtle. For more of a kick, add a bit of ground ginger to the dry ingredients.

Good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.