Yes, you read this title correctly. How can something be no-bake if the word baked is in the title? Read the story and you’ll see, or skip to the end if you’ve just come for the Saskatoon berry recipe. But I promise that this story has everything to do with the recipe and is actually worth reading.
A Craving for Saskatoon Berry Crisp
My family and I had eaten supper at a campground we were at, but the supper was not very filling and every one of us was still hungry. We drove to the nearest city to pick up groceries—frozen pizza, a salad, and ingredients to make a Saskatoon berry crisp.
I was so excited about this crisp because I didn’t think I’d get to pick Saskatoon berries this year, but there ended up being plenty at our campground and my family and I had picked almost 6 cups!
We purchased everything and headed back to the farmhouse where we were spending the night. I was so thankful that we were sleeping at a place where there was a kitchen we could use.
As soon as the kids were settled, the Hermit and I got to work. We preheated the oven, prepped the salad, and I got my crisp ready to go. As the oven was heating up, I thought there was an odd amount of steam coming from it, but I didn’t really think anything of it. Once it was preheated I popped the pizzas in and didn’t think anything more of it.
The pizzas were done and it was time to open the oven. The Hermit checked in and warned me that he didn’t think everything looked right. I opened the oven anyway and a huge cloud of smoke arose. Clearly something was burning in the oven and this was not good.
Related: Saskatoon Berry Pie and No-Bake Saskatoon Berry Cheesecake
The smoke detector started blaring, the babies upstairs started crying, and the Hermit and I started panicking.
Our Air B&B host was a firefighter!!!! Surely we’d get kicked out or get a terrible review.
The Hermit started flapping a dishtowel at the smoke detector and I rushed to open some doors and windows.
Every time we tried to take the pizza out of the oven the smoke detector blared again!! It was so smoky in the oven that I’d start tearing up and had to try multiple times.
Then the host’s dogs realized the door was open and all the animals started coming in.
We didn’t know what emergency to deal with first–the burning pizza, the howling smoke detector, or the pets in the house.
Related: Saskatoon Berry Mini Pavlovas and Bumbleberry Crisp
When we eventually got everything under control, the Hermit looked at me and said, “You know you can’t cook that crisp in the oven, right?”
I was crushed.
I knew he was right, but I had been waiting for this all day and I didn’t want the Saskatoon berries to go to waste.
Never one to be knocked down so easily, I decided to improvise. (Okay, I pouted a little first.) I transferred the crisp to a microwave safe dish, cooked it for 10 minutes, and hoped for the best.
It was delicious.
I’d been wanting to make baked oatmeal for years, but I wasn’t sure how to get the texture right. This was exactly what I had been imagining.
When I got home, I tried the recipe again, cut back the sugar, served it with milk, and it became the dish you see here. If you’ve ever wished you could eat Saskatoon Berry crisp for breakfast and not feel guilty about all the sugar in it. . . now you can!
No Bake Saskatoon Berry Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
- Filling:
- 4 cups Saskatoon berries or blueberries
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp flour
- Crumble:
- 2 cups large flake oatmeal
- 1/2 cup salted butter
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- Serve with milk
Instructions
- Mix all Filling ingredients in a microwave safe dish. Stir the berries until they are evenly coated with the sugar, flour, and lemon
- In a separate dish, mix together the crumble ingredients. I find it is easier to mix with my hands.
- Pour the crumble on top of the filling and lightly mix them together
- Put the dish in the microwave and cook on high heat for 15 minutes. The time may vary in your microwave depending on its size and strength. The "Baked" oatmeal is done when the berries juices run and the oatmeal is soft.
- Serve immediately with milk. The leftovers taste great!
Notes
Only use large flake oatmeal. The texture will be different if you use the quick cooking kind.
The recipe works with frozen berries, but the cooking time may be longer.
Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots. She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden. She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.
