Strawberry Crisp

This weekend has been all about moving - Tim and I moved into new place and we're exhausted but loving it!  Haven't done a lot of home cooking lately because of all the packing and unpacking (plus, we still don't have silverware!) - but, luckily there are plenty of delicious recipes that I made at my old place but never got the chance to post about. 

I've been buying strawberries at the store like crazy lately, and sometimes I definitely buy a few too many! Even if you haven't bought more berries than you can eat, it's definitely worth buying some specifically for this recipe.  The berries are prepared very simply, with just a little bit of sugar, some lemon juice to brighten them up, and some cornstarch to thicken their juices.  The topping is lots of fun, with oats, walnuts, and coconut chips for maximum crunch and flavor.  I didn't add any spices since I don't love cinnamon with strawberries and I couldn't think of another spice that I thought would pair well.  But, the topping is definitely your place to play around with this recipe - you can easily add different nuts, a favorite spice, or anything else you can think of!  Just keep the proportions of flour, sugar, and butter constant and you're good to go.

Strawberry Crisp (adapted from The Budding Cook, original recipe here)
Makes 1 8x8 pan

For the topping:
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut chips
Pinch of salt
3 T unsalted butter, melted

For the berries:
1 quart strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/4 cup sugar
Juice of one lemon
3 T cornstarch
Pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease an 8x8 pan.
2. Combine all the topping ingredients except the butter in a small bowl.  Add the butter and mix in with your fingers until the topping forms a crumbly texture and begins to hold together.
3. Place the strawberries in a large bowl and add the sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt.  Gently toss to combine.  Transfer the berries to the prepared pan.
4. Evenly sprinkle the berries with the topping.  Bake 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the berries are bubbling.  Serve warm.