Salted Butter Fig Crisp
At this time of year, gifts begin to appear at our door — thoughtful packages from my mother’s friends, many of them from Lebanon and Syria. They arrive carrying the season’s harvest: homemade cheeses, jewel-toned jams, small treasures of the pantry. But nothing delights me quite like a jar of fig jam. Few things feel as full of care and quiet love.
I’ve always adored that simple pairing — fresh bread, salted butter, a generous swipe of fig jam. It’s the kind of flavour that’s both humble and luxurious, sweet but grounded, comforting yet alive with contrast. So I wanted to turn that joy into a warm dessert: a bubbling fig crisp, the fruit baked until jammy beneath a golden, oat-strewn topping. I use salted butter instead of unsalted — I love how the faint savoury edge plays against the deep sweetness of the figs.
It’s the sort of dessert you can scoop straight from the oven on a cool evening, warm and fragrant. By morning, it’s just as lovely with a spoonful of thick yogurt for breakfast. Simple, but deeply satisfying — a small way to honour the season and the gifts that travel from one kitchen to another.
Ingredients
For the topping:
• 65 g (½ cup) all-purpose flour
• 55 g (¼ cup) brown sugar
• 57 g (¼ cup / ½ stick) salted butter, cold and cut into ½-inch (12-mm) pieces
• 40 g (½ cup) old-fashioned oats
For the filling:
• 550 g (1 lb) fresh figs, stems removed and quartered
• 15 g (1 Tbsp) brown sugar, or to taste *see note
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) cornstarch
• 100 ml fresh orange juice
• Zest of 1 medium orange
• 50 g ground pistachio (or almond)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground star anise
• ¼ tsp sea salt
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Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Lightly butter or oil a 9-inch (23 cm) baking dish.
2. Make the topping: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and brown sugar. Add the salted butter pieces and rub them into the mixture with your fingertips (or a pastry blender) until coarse crumbs form. Stir in the oats. Refrigerate the topping while you prepare the filling.
3. Prepare the filling: Place the figs in a large bowl and sprinkle with the brown sugar. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, orange juice, and orange zest until smooth. Pour this mixture over the figs, then fold in the ground pistachios, spices, and sea salt. Mix gently to coat.
4. Assemble: Spoon the fig mixture into the prepared baking dish. Scatter the chilled topping evenly over the fruit.
5. Bake for 50–60 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the figs, until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the topping is golden brown.
6. Cool slightly before serving. Best warm, with ice cream, whipped cream, or thick yogurt.
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Note
The sugar here is intentionally light — just 1 tablespoon — so the sweetness will depend on your fruit. If your figs are underripe or less sweet, you can add another tablespoon of brown sugar. The baking time may also vary: very ripe figs may bubble and thicken in 45–50 minutes, while firmer figs might need closer to an hour.
