I’m not well enough this year to get too creative with my birthday dessert so I went with a perpetual favorite that is as tasty as it is easy to make: blackberry crisp.

Since I was expecting company to join me for dinner, I made use of my new set of Corningware ramekins. The individual 4oz servings made a great small bite of sweetness after a heavy meal of ribeye steaks and grilled veggies.

The blackberries came from my mom’s freezer. I defrosted and then drained them before using the berries. The leftover juice I used in blackberry barbecue sauce. It’d be excellent in cocktails, club soda or iced tea as well.

2 cups blackberries
1 Tbs agave nectar
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 Tbs coconut oil, room temperature
4 tsp date sugar

Preheat oven to 375*F. In a medium bowl, combine blackberries, agave, corn starch and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Gently stir ingredients until well combined. In a smaller bowl, combine oatmeal, coconut oil, date sugar and the last 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix until well combined. Spoon blackberry mixture into ramekins or casserole dish. Cover with oatmeal mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the blackberries are bubbling and the crisp is lightly brown. Serve hot or cold.