Red Raspberry Desserts

All berries are a great source of fiber, but there’s one bright berry that tops them all—the raspberry. According to Mayo Clinic, the raspberry has one of the highest fiber contents of all fruits at 8 grams of fiber per cup. And adding these tiny tart (or sweet) punches of fiber to your diet won’t only aid in digestion—fiber also helps lower your risk of heart disease. So treat your heart (and your taste buds) to these red raspberry recipes from the Washington Red Raspberry Commission.

Red Raspberry Cinnamon-Oat Crumble
(Makes 8 servings; ½ cup per serving)

Topping Ingredients

• ⅔ cup white whole wheat flour
• ⅔ cup old fashioned oats
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar substitute blend
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
• ⅓ cup canola oil

Filling Ingredients

• 1 pound bag frozen unsweetened peach slices, thawed
• 12-ounce bag frozen unsweetened red raspberries
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar substitute blend
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In large bowl, stir together topping ingredients, except oil. Drizzle oil over all and gently toss with fork to create “crumble” texture.
3. Coat 11-by-7-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Stir together filling ingredients. Sprinkle topping evenly over all. Bake 45-50 minutes or until lightly brown and fruit is bubbling.
4. Remove from the oven and let stand 30 minutes to absorb flavors.

Cook’s Tip: As with most fruit cobblers, the flavors are even better the next day because they are more blended and have time to absorb into the fruit.

Red Raspberry Stained Pears
(Makes 4 pear halves and ¾ cup sauce total)

Ingredients

• 2 firm medium pears, peeled, halved and cored (12 ounces total)
• ¾ cup water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 ⅓ cups frozen unsweetened red raspberries
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted, coarsely crumbled

Directions

1. Bring ½ cup of water to a boil in medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat, add pears, cut side down, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 7-8 minutes or until just tender crisp. Remove skillet from heat. Using large slotted spatula, remove pears and place in 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish.
2. Combine cornstarch with remaining ¼ cup water in small bowl. Stir until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Add mixture to pan drippings in skillet with raspberries, stir to blend. Bring to a boil, over medium high heat, continue boiling 1 minute. Do not stir. Remove from heat, gently stir in almond extract and pour over pears. Let stand 1 hour, turning pears occasionally.
3. To serve place pears on dessert plates, spoon sauce over all, sprinkle sugar and almonds evenly over all.

Recipes and photos reprinted with permission from Washington Red Raspberry Commission and created by Nancy Hughes, with photography by Valerie Uteg, Thigpen Photography.