Tart Apricot Crisp

The scoop I couldn't resist hot out of the oven.

         Growing up, pie at Thanksgiving meant the enjoyment of Buttersweeties the next morning. These decadent beyond dream treats are leftover pecan pie, heated in the skillet with generous amounts of butter. I learned at a young age, pie was destined to be enjoyed with a glass of milk the next morning, just as much as it was meant for the night before on your fancy set dinner table.
         I later found the same held true with all fruit crisps, crumbles, buckles, and cobblers alike. Peach cobbler in the morning became a favorite thing of mine. However, tweaked to be slightly less sweet and more wholesome than their evening counterparts, these crumbly fruit treats can in fact be intended for breakfast! 
               With apricots coming into season, I jumped onto the notion as soon as I saw it suggested in the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Although Deb Perelman already changes the traditional crisp concept to be more suitable for breakfast, I tried to take it a tad further to a cold healthy topping for my summer morning yogurt and gosh darn-it was it tasty. Its tart quality paired so pleasantly on my honey yogurt, this summer's breakfast just got much brighter with a multitude of fruit crisps ready to please. The tart bite of the fresh apricot pairs balances so well with the creaminess of the yogurt, while the gentle crunchy off the oats and almonds form the texture I miss in just plain yogurt. The pleasant combination of the flavors lends itself to a breakfast sure to please, and it is so easy! Just throw it together Sunday evening and the beginning half of your week's breakfast needs are taken care of- or double it and take care of the whole week :)

Adapted from Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Apricot Filling**: 

5 apricots (about 3/4 lb.)

2 tbs sugar

1 tbs all purpose flour

1.5 tsp cinnamon

Crumble Topping:
4 tbs (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)
1/4 c. Sugar (mine was  quite tart, if you wanted a bit more sweetness, you could go up to 1/2 c)
1/2 c. Rolled Oats
1/2 c. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 c roughly chopped raw almonds
A generous pinch of salt
A splash of milk at altitude

*I used a 3 cup baking dish from Pyrex and it was packed to the brim. You could easily use two(ish) apricots more and put it in a quart sized dish as well.
**Apricots are wonderful for the spring and summer season, but other fruits-peaches, plums, apples, ect could easily be substituted.

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. Tear the apricots along their seams and then tears the halves two more times for bite sized pieces. This is a beautiful thing about apricots. All you need is your hands to twist them apart and rip them in half. They are so soft they lend themselves to being an easy fruit bottom for dishes (not to mention wonderful for minimal clean up). There skins are so soft and add a nice little texture, so no need to even remove them. 
3. Place the apricots at the base of a baking dish and add in flour, cinnamon, and sugar. Mix well.
4. Melt butter in a small sauce pan, add extract and salt-give it a minute to dissolve.
5. Once dissolved, add sugar, oats, flour, and finally almonds, one at a time. Let them combine before adding then next. After adding the almonds, the mixture will be well combined and clumpy.
6. If baking at altitude add a splash of milk as well for added moisture in baking process.
7. Top the apricot mixture with the crumble and cook for 30-35 minutes.
8. Enjoy warm with ice cream if you can't resist or let cool and place in fridge overnight to eat cold for breakfast the next morning- or heck do both!