This Sweet Boysenberry Crunch is a little bite of Heaven

Oh, my goodness… don’t get me started on this amazing sweet boysenberry crunch. It is sooo good. Like really, really delicious. But first, let’s back up a step or two. I realize you might have a couple questions before we get started. Namely “What is a boysenberry?” and “What is a crunch”? If either of those ran through your mind, don’t worry, Google and I have answers for you.

What is a Boysenberry?

My research tells me that a boysenberry is a hybrid fruit, which is a cross between a blackberry, raspberry and a loganberry. One website even lauded it as a ‘super berry’ high in antioxidants and supposedly able to help reverse lung damage… who knew? It is slightly larger than a blackberry and has more of a purple color. To be honest, we used blackberries for the photo shoot as that’s what we could find, but we love it with boysenberries as they hold a special place in our heart and our memories so we didn’t want to change the name.

**What is a Crunch and How is it Different from a Crisp?**

Many of us have heard of a fruit crisp, (like our family favorite Apple Crisp…recipe coming soon), but how is a fruit crunch different? Well, the way I understand it, a crisp has all of the fruit on the bottom and the crumbly mixture (streusel) only on top. A crunch, in the other hand, has the oat mixture both on the bottom and top, with the fruit in the middle. This makes it easier to slice and serve because the crumb mixture forms a sort of crust on the bottom, giving a cleaner end result.

slice of sweet boysenberry crunch on a white plate

First, let me say, if you have never tried boysenberry crunch, you are seriously missing out. This has been a family favorite for many, many years. When I first introduced my husband to it a couple years ago, it quickly became his favorite dessert. For the past two years running he has even requested it for his birthday dessert in lieu of cake. That’s how good it is.

Just one bite takes me quickly back to my childhood.

When I was growing up, we planted some boysenberry plants in our backyard. They quickly grew and spread and pretty much took over the yard. It was great, because when they were in season, we had so. many. boysenberries. My sisters and I would spend 30 minutes a day picking berries. If I remember correctly, my parents ended up getting a second freezer, just to keep the extra berries, beyond all the ones we gave away.

warm boysenberry crunch on a plate topped with vanilla bean ice cream

My mom was constantly making boysenberry pies, boysenberry cobbler and, of course, this delicious boysenberry crunch. She says the recipe was adapted from my grandmother’s cranberry crunch recipe. I think we’re going to need to try that next!

We love this sweet boysenberry crunch warm and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream… mmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

If you scroll past the recipe, there is a full step-by-step guide with pictures you can follow!

Print Recipe

Sweet Boysenberry Crunch

This sweet boysenberry crunch is one of our favorite desserts. Tangy boysenberries (or blackberries) are sweetened and then baked between two layers of a buttery, golden crust.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: berries, berry, berry crisp, berry dessert, blackberry, blackberry crisp, blackberry dessert, boysenberry, boysenberry crunch, boysenberry dessert, brown sugar, butter, crisp, crunch, oat crust, summer, sweet

Servings: 16

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Jenna

Ingredients

Berries

6 cups Boysenberries, blackberries or mixed berries fresh or frozen
1 cup sugar
¼ cup corn starch

Crunch

2 cups rolled oats old fashioned or quick (I like to do half and half)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups brown sugar packed
1 cup butter 2 sticks, cold

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 13"x9" baking dish.
Berries: Place berries in a large pot. In a separate bowl, stir together sugar and corn starch (this helps to eliminate any clumps in the corn starch). Stir this mixture into the pot with the berries and heat on the stove over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened.
Crunch: In a large bowl combine oats, flour and brown sugar. Stir until well combined, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar as needed. Using a pastry blender, two knives or (my favorite) a cheese grater, cut butter into oat mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs (roughly pea sized).
Assemble: Sprinkle half of the oat mixture into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Use your fingers to pat it down into an even layer. Pour the cooked berry mixture over the top and spread out evenly. Top with the remaining half of the oat mixture.
Bake: Place baking dish into center of your preheated oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden and berries are bubbling.

Notes

Boysenberries can be hard to find, but this is just as delicious using blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, or even frozen mixed berries. You may want to reduce the sugar if using a sweeter berry.

Make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free all purpose flour and certified gluten free oats.

Make it vegan using plant-based butters or margarine.

Store extras in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave.