i'd rather be baking

I’ve been dreaming of a tropical fruit crisp for a good week now. I love a good crisp! The pineapples at our grocery store have been beautifully golden and sweet lately — thank you, California — and I can’t get enough. The smell of fresh pineapple never fails to take me back to standing in my grandparents’ kitchen as a child and hearing my grandpa come home from the store with a pineapple in hand. My grandma would fuss over the mess of cutting it up, and my grandpa would promise to do it himself. Now I can appreciate her fussing! Those dang pineapples; they’re a sticky mess but always so worth it.

I used a heavy helping of fresh pineapple here, as well as some frozen mango and peaches from last summer. I’m pretty proud that we’ve eaten summer fruit for this long! Ryan makes fun of my “end of the world freezer” from time to time because I have a tendency to stash a little of everything in there, but shoot, many a tasty dessert (and meal) has come from that freezer.

I know apple and cherry crisps are more traditional, but I love this slightly tropical, sweet mixture of flavors. It’s not quite as good as laying on a beach with a pineapple drink and an umbrella, but I’ll take it!

Tropical Fruit Crisp
Adapted from Cooking Light

For the filling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 cups roughly chopped fruit, fresh or frozen (I used a mix of pineapple, mango, and peaches)
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons butter or margarine, melted

For the topping:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cornstarch, stirring well with a whisk. Add fruit, juice, and 2 teaspoons melted butter, and toss gently to combine. Place mango mixture in an 8-inch square baking dish (or pie plate) coated with cooking spray.

To prepare topping, combine flour, oats, 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon, stirring well. Cut in 3 tablespoons butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle flour mixture evenly over mango mixture. Bake for 40 minutes or until browned.