Sometimes our favorite recipes are inspired from using up leftover ingredients. This sticky fig blueberry crisp is one of those recipes that is going to be a repeating Summer treat. Last month we had a group of friends over for Sunday lunch and we completely forgot about what to make for dessert. Our stand-by dessert is normally a berry crisp or crumble because it’s so easy to whip up a batch in a few minutes and then just forget about it in the oven for about an hour. But we didn’t have too many berries other than a bowl of blueberries and an over-ripening basket of figs. So using these two highlights of Summer fruits became a crowd favorite fig crisp recipe with blueberries. This recipe was originally published in 2014 and re-published with new photos.

Sticky Fig Blueberry Crisp in a baking dish

Fig Blueberry Crisp Recipe

The figs and berries on the counter were begging to be eaten and the most edible answer we could think of was making our favorite crisp and filling it with luscious figs and blueberries. For an even bigger treat, we made some tangy, sweet goat cheese whipped cream to take it over the top. Guess what? we got lucky and this recipe was a surprise hit. The bomb. The Best. Amazing. You must make this! If you don’t have as many figs as the recipe calls for then no worries. You can always use more blueberries or even substitute other berries. But as long as you have a handful of ripe figs, the flavor will be fantastic from the sticky sweet flavors of Summer figs.

What Does a Fig Crisp Taste Like?

This wonderful crisp is sticky, concentrated with naturally sweet fig and blueberry flavor, so a little bit goes a long way. If you’re already a fan of figs, you’ll love the familiar stick sweet flavors and the little nuggets of crunchy seeds in each bite. Cost of figs can be costly, so you don’t have to break the bank buying a ton of figs. Just use a smaller baking dish, like a 6″ ramekin or  quart baking dish. Whatever size fits a nice layer for the amount of figs and blueberries you are using. Like we mentioned above, you can always use more blueberries or other berries if you have less figs. Each bite of this sticky fig and blueberry crisp will leave you screaming out for Summer to never end!

See the video of us make the Fig-Blueberry Crisp with a Goat Cheese Whipped Cream

fig blueberry crisp with whipped cream

Best Figs for Desserts?

There’s so many great figs for eating and cooking. Our most favorite for desserts are the sweet Mission figs or brown turkey figs. When picked at their peak, these figs are fantastic, flavorful and sweet. They themselves are like desserts and we power through ripe sweet figs like candy. Yes, when they’re picked at their peak they taste like candy and sometimes no need to even cook them. But if you have alot that are ripening too fast, it’s the perfect time to make desserts out of them. Here’s a great article about best fig varieties. 

chopped figs and blueberries for fig crisp recipe

Fig-Blueberry Crisp with a Goat Cheese Whipped Cream

Crisp topping based off of our Blackberry Cabernet Crisp which is in our cookbook Bountiful. This crisp is great with regular whipped cream or even ice cream, however the goat cheese whipped cream gives it a special touch. For the goat cheese whipped cream, we prefer it with slight pieces of concentrated goat cheese. However if you want the goat cheese whipped cream super smooth, blend the goat cheese (it is easiest if goat cheese is at room temp.) with a few tablespoons of the whipping cream until it is smooth, and then add the remaining whipped cream ingredients and whip until the mixture forms soft peaks. The goat cheese whipped cream can be done a day ahead of time if desired. Otherwise we will usually make it while the crisp bakes.
If your figs are kind of bland, you might want to increase the brown sugar in the filling. Add another tablespoon or two of brown sugar to help compensate.
5 from 7 votes

Ingredients

For the Topping

  • 1/2 cup (65 g) flour
  • 1/4 cup (55 g) brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) kosher salt or sea salt
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) cold unsalted butter , (1/2 stick) cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) pieces
  • 1/2 cup (40 g) old-fashioned oats

Fig-Blueberry Filling

  • 1 pound (454 g) fresh figs , stems removed and quartered
  • oz. (170 g) fresh blueberries
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) packed brown sugar , or to taste *see headnote
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) cornstarch
  • zest from one medium lemon

Goat Cheese Whipped Cream (optional)

  • 4 oz. (113 g) goat cheese
  • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) vanilla

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven at 375°F/190°C.  Butter and set aside a 1-quart or other smaller-sized baking dish.
    Preheat oven
  • Make the topping: In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Using your fingertips, pinch the butter pieces into the flour until the texture is crumbly.
    Butter, flour, and brown sugar in a bowl
  • Pinch in the oats and work with your fingertips until the ingredients are evenly mixed.  Set aside in the fridge until ready to top the crisp.
    Crisp filling being lifted to show texture
  • Make the filling: Cut the stems off the figs and then cut them into quarters.
    Quarted figs on a cutting board
  • Gently toss the filling ingredients (figs, blueberries, brown sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest) together.
    Grating lemon zest over figs and blueberries
  • Place the filling in the baking dish. Spread the topping over the fig-blueberry filling.
    Sprinkling topping over fig-blueberry filling in baking dish
  • Bake at 375°F/190°C for about 1 hour 10 minutes or until the topping is golden and filling has slightly thickened.
    Finished fig-blueberry crisp
  • Optional: Make the goat cheese whipped cream topping (see head note). Whip together the goat cheese, cream, confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture forms soft peaks (when you lift the whisk out of the cream, a peak should form and then gently fall back, barely holding its shape). Place the whipped cream in a covered container and reserve in the fridge until ready to serve.
    Goat cheese whipped cream in a bowl
  • Serve the crisp warm or at room temperature, topping the individual servings with the goat cheese whipped cream.

Video

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 228kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 142mg, Potassium: 144mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 569IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 1mg

If you have a fig tree vs buying figs

Sure, it might take a whole paycheck to buy a ton of sweet figs. When we’re at the market, fig prices are often a shock and the figs themselves often seem like a commodity. Folks like us can indulge when we have a fig tree, but what about the rest of you? Well, we’ve scaled the recipe down to a smaller portion. But really, that’s all you’ll need. If you have a friend with a fig tree, offer them some fig crisp if they can give you a big bagful of ripe figs. That’s a pretty nice tradeoff for everyone!

Hope your Summer is grand!

-diane and todd

Best Toppings for Fig Crisp

Our recipe has this crisp paired with a goat cheese whipped cream. But if you’re not a fan of goat cheese, there’s other delicious possibilies.

  • we love simple homemade whipped cream
  • A quickie topping is to use whipped topping
  • Add a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top
  • Greek yogurt is nice on top
  • a small drizzle of honey on top is nice if you want something a little sweeter.
  • Chopped nuts add a great crunch on top