Rhubarb Crisp

In the summer time my family tends a huge garden in our backyard. Every year one of the things that grows is rhubarb! And this year I've decided to experiment with it!

Rhubarb not pictured here but look at our garden! This is just part of it

And here is the rhubarb. I picked it from here myself though I do have to admit that I don't have the greenest thumb

Despite it usually appearing in desserts, rhubarb is actually a vegetable! It's a wonderful summer time vegetable at that too.

Most often it's paired with strawberries to sweeten it up as rhubarb can be a little sour for some but if you're like me and just want to taste the rhubarb then try out this crisp. If you feel like you'll need something a bit sweeter you can always add more honey or top it off with some sweetened whipped cream.

This crisp has a delightfully tart filling with a delicious crumbly topping. You can make gluten free and/or vegan if desired but enjoy it knowing that you're eating something healthy! It's the perfect summertime treat and tastes even better with fresh rhubarb.

Rhubarb Crisp

Serves 9

Ingredients

1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1 1/4 cup water
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 1/2 cups rhubarb cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 cup spelt flour*
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
2 tbsp almond milk
Handful of chopped walnuts (optional)

*You can also use white all-purpose flour. Or if you want to make this gluten free, I have also made this with oat flour and it came out well

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 8x8" square pan with coconut oil
2. Combine honey or maple syrup, water, and cornstarch in  a saucepan and heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer for 5 minutes or until color turns into a light brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl combine coconut sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add in coconut oil and milk and mix together until crumbly. You can add a little more milk if the mixture is not sticking together well (I especially recommend this for the oat flour version)
4. Press half of the oat mixture into the bottom of your pan. Cover this with the chopped up rhubarb and then cover the rhubarb with the syrup mixture. Sprinkle the rest of the oat mixture on top and top with walnuts if desired.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top turns golden brown.
6. Allow to cool slightly and then cut into squares and serve

Let me know if you try this out!