I love fruit crisps. They are one of my favorite desserts, and definitely one of my go-to’s when we have friends or family over for a meal. I have, however, found it impossible to stick to one recipe, or actually stick to a recipe for that matter. I don’t know what it is about fruit crisps, but I always end up trying to wing it. A little of this, a little of that…most times it will end up being scrumptious, but there have been some major fails as well. Live and learn, er, bake and learn.

Recipes are just ideas for food, and there are so many ways to customize something to your own preference and tastes.

For this crisp recipe, I started with this. I intended to follow it verbatim, really I did. I made it for a fairly large dinner party we are hosting, and that’s never really a good time to try to wing something. But gah! I couldn’t help myself.

Here’s what I ended up.

Rhubarb + Blueberry Fruit Crisp

4 cups rhubarb
1 cup blueberries
2 T. liquid (i used a mixture of orange juice + water)
1 T. agave syrup
1 T. honey
orange zest
1/2 T. cornstarch
1 cup oats
1/2 cup-ish sugar
1/4 cup spelt flour
1/8 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. cinnamon

Combine fruit, agave, honey, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Place fruit mix into a baking dish and zest an orange on top.

Mix remaining ingredients together until crumbly (use a food processor if you don’t want to use your fingers, but I think that hands are a cook’s handiest utensil). Spread crisp mixture over fruit, and bake at 350 degrees for about thirty minutes, or until the top is golden and fruit mixture is thick.

Serve with ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

Notes:
– I added liquid to the fruit mix because I like when a crisp is ooey-gooey. Make sure to add a thickener if you add additional liquid.

– The flours you use are completely interchangeable. I like spelt for baking and I added the buckwheat for nuttiness. You can use all purpose, whole wheat, gluten-free, etc.

What about you: do you like to follow recipes verbatim or add your own spin to something? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I was feeling a little bleh again today. But then I made muffins, and now I am better! Amazing what a little kitchen therapy will do for you on days where nothing feels inspiring. Plus the smells that waft in the house from these little babies are enough to put anyone in a happy place.

Morning glory muffins are above and beyond my favorite muffin in the entire world. Blueberry is a distant second…a distant second, not a close second. There is something about the combination of apply-carroty-nutty-raisiny-cinnamony flavors that are just perfect. Plus, morning glory muffins tend to be a bit more moist then a lot of other kinds of muffins, due to the moisture from the carrot and apple, which I like.

I’ve used a bunch of different recipes in my life for morning glory muffins, because I’m addicted to trying new recipes, even if there is nothing wrong with the old one. But I think this one might be “the one” for morning glories. It made it into my “good food” recipe binder, which is my collection of tried-and-true recipes I don’t want to lose.

Morning Glory Muffins

1/2 cup raisins
1 cup spelt flour (or flour of choice)
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups carrots, grated
1 large apple, grated
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
3 eggs
2/3 cup applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. molasses
1/4 cup orange juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare your muffin tin by greasing the tin or lining with paper liners (i’m uber-paranoid and use liners and grease them).

In a small bowl, cover raisins with hot water; set aside to soak.

Whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the carrots, apples, coconut, pecans, and sunflower seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, applesauce, vanilla, molasses, and orange juice. Add to the flour mixture and stir until evenly combined. Drain raisins and stir them into the mixture. Divide the batter among the muffins tins. Sprinkle with some oats or raw sugar.

Bake for 23-25 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool in pan for five minutes.

Notes:

– I always put extra cinnamon in these, because I love cinnamon so much. Feel free to use only two teaspoons if you don’t want these too cinnamony.
– I also add molasses to the batter, which is optional. I just think it adds a good depth of flavor, but these are totally delish without as well!
– This recipe makes around a dozen muffins, depending on your muffin tin size. I actually had batter left that wouldn’t fit into my tins, so I just put the extra in a small souffle dish I have and it baked up fine. It’s like having a little morning glory cake!

Enjoy these with a cup of something hot and a pat of butter or a smear of honey.

Cheers to you!

What about you: do you like to try new recipes for something you already know how to make? Or do you prefer to stick to the tried-and-true?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!