Dessert Recipe – Apricot Coconut Crisp

I think I have a new favorite dessert.  It’s this apricot coconut crisp.  Yes, it’s that good.

My favorite dessert has always been apple crisp.  My mother makes the best apple crisp.  She still makes it for me when I visit.  Apple crisp is all about familiarity and comfort.

This apricot coconut crisp, on the other hand, is a bit exotic and tropical.  The apricots provide this dessert with vibrant colour.  The coconut gives the crisp topping a different type of crunch and pairs beautifully with the filling made from fresh apricots.  Apricot and coconut should be a classic combination, they go that well together.

The inspiration for this crisp comes from these apricot coconut muffins from Flavour the Moments.  As I was savoring the muffins I made using that recipe, I just knew I needed to use apricots in a crisp and use coconut in the topping.  It’s definitely not my usual topping for a crisp, but it’s the right one for a crisp made with fresh apricots.

My original plan was to use unsweetened coconut in the topping.  I was out of unsweetened as I had used the last of it for the muffins, so I used some sweetened shredded coconut I had on hand.  As a result, I cut back pretty dramatically on the brown sugar in the topping; otherwise it would have been way too sweet.  The result was just right.  A nice amount of sweetness, great crunch, and flavour I love, love, love. If you use unsweetened coconut, you might choose to add more brown sugar.

My apricots were not as ripe as I would have liked.  I should have left them out on the counter for a couple of days before making the crisp.  As they weren’t very sweet, I opted to add some maple syrup to the filling.  If your apricots are very ripe and sweet, you might want to adjust for that and cut back a bit on the sweetener.

I’ve been baking a lot of crisps lately, like this strawberry rhubarb crisp and this apple rhubarb crisp.  Crisps are such a great way to use summer fruit.  In the past I thought of crisp as a fall and winter dessert, but I have changed my mind.  Crisps should be enjoyed all year.

Recipe:  Apricot Coconut Crisp

Ingredients

Crisp Topping:

• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• ¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut
• ½ cup quick cooking oats
• ¼ cup softened butter

Apricot Filling:

• 3 ½ cups peeled, sliced fresh apricots (about 14 apricots)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (or honey)
• 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Make crisp topping – In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, sugar, coconut and oats. Stir in butter and mix until crumbly. Set topping aside.
3. In a 1.5 quart (1.4 L) oven safe dish, add apricots. Stir in maple syrup. Sprinkle cornstarch and stir fruit to distribute evenly.
4. Spread crisp topping over fruit, distributing it evenly.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until top is golden and crisp. Let cool a bit, but serve warm.