Easy Rhubarb Crisp Recipe

I am fortunate to have a couple of rhubarb plants in my garden. Each spring they produce a bountiful crop for making delicious rhubarb desserts like Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and Rhubarb Tarte Tatin.

As kids we would eat fresh, raw rhubarb, sweetening it by dipping it in a bowl of sugar. It is important to note that only the stalks are edible, the leaves are toxic and should never be consumed!

Is there a difference between fruit crisps and crumbles?

Both crisps and crumbles use seasonal fruit topped with a buttery, crumbly topping and are served warm.The subtle difference is:

• A Crisp typically contains oats (rolled oats) or oatmeal which give it a slightly crunchier texture.
• A Crumble is also made with flour, butter, and sugar but does not include oats. Crumble toppings are usually softer and less crunchy.

Key Ingredients

Crisps, cobblers, and crumble desserts are easy to make with simple ingredients and any seasonal fruit. For this recipe I used the following ingredients:

• Fresh Rhubarb – use bright red stalks, they tend to be a bit sweeter than green stalks.
• Maple Syrup – pure maple syrup is a tasty choice to sweeten the tart rhubarb.
• Minute Tapioca – minute tapioca is my preferred choice for thickening fruit filling in crisps, pies and cobblers. It does not alter the taste of the fruit and leaves the fruit with a glossy look, unlike the cloudy appearance you get when using cornstarch or flour as a thickener.
• Oats – typically called rolled oats, old-fashioned oats or large flaked oats work best.

Rhubarb crisp variations

A classic rhubarb crisp consists of simple ingredients like fresh rhubarb, sugar, flour, butter, and oats. Some tasty additions could include adding the following:

• Chopped toasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans.
• Shredded coconut
• Add fresh strawberries to the rhubarb filling.

Instructions

Toss together rhubarb, maple syrup, cinnamon and minute tapioca.

Prepare the topping by blending the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter.

Pour the filling into baking pan, then cover with the crumb mixture.

Bake in oven 375º F for 45- 50 minutes. The top should be golden brown.

Tips to make the best rhubarb crisp:

• Don’t over-mix the crumb mixture, it should be lumpy.
• Place the prepared crisp on a baking sheet or foil to catch any over-flowing juice. As the rhubarb crisp is baking, the rhubarb softens and releases its juices and creates a bubbly, syrupy filling which can tend to overflow.