I don’t mean to eschew responsibility, but I swear sometimes desserts just happen in our house. I wasn’t planning to bake anything last Friday, but I had a pint of blueberries in the fridge along with a few leftover stalks of rhubarb, and there were some green apples in the fruit bowl… before I knew what I was doing, this crisp was bubbling away in the oven and the kitchen smelled amazing.

That’s the best thing about crisps, crumbles, and the like. You don’t really have to plan them, because you probably already have everything you need–and if you don’t, you can improvise. I didn’t set out to use an apple, but I didn’t have enough blueberries, so in it went–and it was delicious.

This is the first time that I used whole wheat flour in my topping, and let me tell you, I’m never going back. Why haven’t I been doing this my entire (baking) life? It imparted a nutty, toasty flavor that worked so well with the oatmeal, and was a perfect compliment to the tart, juicy filling.

The topping can be made with either butter or coconut oil (for a vegan version). Serve the crisp with sorbet, vanilla ice cream, or frozen yogurt. I baked my crisp in an 11-x-7-inch rectangular dish, but you can use any dish that holds about 6 cups. An 8-inch square pan would work, as would a deep dish pie plate.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Apple Rhubarb Crisp

Servings 6

Ingredients

For the filling

2 cups blueberries about 1 pint
2 cups diced rhubarb 2 or 3 medium stalks
2 cups peeled about 1 large, chopped tart apple
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon

For the topping

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal not quick cooking or instant
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter diced, or solid coconut oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. To make the filling, toss the blueberries, rhubarb, apple, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice together in a bowl. Transfer to a 6-cup baking dish (such as an 8-inch square, 11-x-7-inch rectangle, or a deep dish pie plate).
To make the topping, combine the whole wheat flour, oatmeal, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse to blend. Add the butter or coconut oil and pulse until the mixture is well combined and resembles wet sand.
Scatter the topping evenly over the filling and bake until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling, 45 to 55 minutes.