Caramel Pear Crisp

This is for my co-worker Karen, who always gazes longingly at the hospital cafeteria's cobbler and moans about how bad it is. I promised her ages ago that cobbler could be healthy but I'm just now getting around to typing this out. You see, I use rough ratios for this "recipe" and it changes a little each time. It's hard to go wrong here!

Caramel Pear Crisp

Fruit Filling:
3 cups fruit (this can vary between 2-5 cups, really. And frozen or fresh doesn't really matter.)
2 Tbs sugar or honey
3 Tbs water
1/2 Tbs cornstarch
1/2 tsp cinnamon (feel free to add more if pears or apples are your fruit of choice and less if you're using berries)
1 tsp vanilla

Crumble Topping:
1/4 cup flour (I use oat flour, but if you're okay with gluten you can use spelt or whole wheat)
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup almond meal (or more flour)
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs butter
1/3 cup milk (as usual, I use SoDelicious unsweetened coconut milk)

Preheat oven to 400F and grease a large pie dish.

In a large pot or skillet with the heat off, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon. Add water and whisk until smooth. Mix in your sliced fruit and mix until coated. Bring fruit mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Spoon cooked fruit into prepared pan.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in the milk until combined. Spoon the batter over the fruit.

Bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes until golden. Serve immediately with your favorite ice cream and a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce (recipe to come)!