Blueberry-Almond Crisp

Spring is definitely in the air, and to celebrate I wanted to show you how to move from a winter favourite recipe (Apple Crisp) to a new spring favourite: Blueberry – Almond Crisp.

Inspired by Mollie Katzen‘s Apple Krisp recipe (Moosewood Cookbook 1977), which I have made dozens of times, I wanted to tweak it a bit and give it a twist and freshen things up for spring.

Crisps are very versatile, not only can you try a number of different fruits as the seasons change, you can also mix fruits (dried and fresh!), and nuts depending on what you have on hand. Its a recipe that loans itself well to seasonal and local eating, and is easy to make. Not to mention that crisp can be considered either a healthful dessert, or a breakfast food perfect for weekdays morning rushes if you make it ahead of time.

My own personal philosophy when it comes to cooking is to limit the amount of sugar (especially refined white sugar) and sodium as much as I can, while using each recipe as a way to sneak in a few healthful “powerfoods”. In this case, blueberries, oats, almonds and flax seeds are hidden in a delicious disguise, ready to tempt even picky eaters.

Blueberry – Almond Crisp

12 oz blueberries, well washed

1/4 cup ground or slivered almonds

1 tsp almond extract

1/4 cup butter (salted or unsalted works)

1/4 cup honey

1 cup raw oats

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tsps flax seed (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place blueberries into a small round cake pan, or square brownie pan, and use a potato masher to crush them (do this slowly or you could end up wearing them!).

In a separate small microwave friendly bowl, combine the butter and honey and melt together in the microwave for about a minute.

Add the almond extract, almonds, flax seeds, flour and oats and mix well. The mixture should be moist but crumbly. Place the crumble mixture in the pan on top of the blueberries, and spread evenly. Pour the orange juice over top.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes (I recommend checking after 20 minutes to make sure it doesn’t brown too quickly). Depending on the size of your pan,the cooking time may vary depending on how spread out your fruit and crumble mixture.

I love making this recipe on Sundays, and warming up a bit for breakfast on weekdays, and having it with a side of Activia Vanilla Yogurt… gets the work day off to a luxurious start!

The Hungry Homebody