Breakfast Baked with Summer’s Bounty

Instead of having my toes buried in the sand on some gorgeous beach, I find myself buried in Summer’s gift of sweet ripe fruit with my children digging me out one nectarine at a time. They can’t get enough of this favorite fruit of mine, which obviously has become a favorite of theirs.

While eating nectarines all by themselves is perfectly okay for every day of the season, my “souper” mom brain buzzed with other ideas, and I had to find another way to use this mouth-watering fruit. The first meal of the day was never the same after I put Nectarine Breakfast Crisp on the table. The heavenly scent of this baked delight had already permeated the entire house by the time everyone was ready to sit down to eat, and I was almost completely satisfied just by that.  Note that I said, “almost.”

Many times a crisp is associated with dessert, but I have “lightened up” the typical crisp recipe and created a healthy breakfast treat even the pickiest eater would enjoy. There is no butter and very minimal sugar used in the topping. Since fruit is at its sweetest and juiciest during the summer, I did not need to add sugar or liquid to the nectarines themselves.

You can make this crisp any time of the year and with any fruit that you want, but if you make it with frozen fruit or fruit picked out of season, you may need to sweeten and moisten the fruit just a little. A few tablespoons of maple syrup and a quarter or half cup of apple juice poured over the fruit of choice would do the trick for me!

I like to top this dish off with a little bit of vanilla yogurt, but it certainly doesn’t need any extra help! What is also great about this recipe is that you can place the entire crisp into a pie shell and bake for a perfect dessert version.   I just love it when one recipe can get two jobs done!

What summer fruit recipes do you like to grace your breakfast table with?

Nectarine Breakfast Crisp

5 – 6 nectarines, pitted and sliced (I left the skins on.)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup oil (I used olive oil, not extra virgin)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Generously spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with oil. Lay the sliced fruit in an even layer in the dish. (This is where you would pour the maple syrup and apple juice over the fruit if you are using.) In a small bowl, mix the the flour, oats, sugar, and cinnamon until combined. Pour in the oil and stir until the whole mixture is well moistened. Sprinkle this in an even layer on top of the fruit, making sure to cover the fruit completely. Bake for 40 minutes. Serves 6.

  Having a little bit of fun with food styling. Yes, I snuck a few peaches in there!