Seasonal Crumble

I love crisps, crumbles and cobblers.  Combine that with my love of fresh berries and beautiful fruit picked at their peak and you get the perfect combination.  In this crumble recipe, the fruit is truly the star.  Small amounts of flour, sugar and butter keep this crumble on the healthy side - but believe me, no taste is given up.  This is truly the perfect summer recipe.

4 cups fresh fruit  (I used sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, but feel free to use any fruit that is in season)
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch fine salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into cubes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the fruit with 1 tbsp flour and pour into a 9-inch pie pan.  Combine the rest of the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Use your hands to form pea-sized crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit.  Bake for 45 minutes. 

Serve warm with ice cream. 

Fudgy Mexican Brownies

2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 stick butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 granulated sugar

1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
    (I used Penzey's Tung Hing Chinese Cinnamon)

4 eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla
1 cup AP flour
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Melt 2 cups chocolate chips and butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Stir constantly.  Once melted, remove pan from heat and cool slightly.  Stir in chile powder and cinammon. Whisk in eggs, one at a time and vanilla.  Stir in flour, salt and 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Spread in the pan and bake for 45 minutes. 

Sweet and Salty Granola Bars

2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups rolled oats
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Melt butter in a saucepan with honey, brown sugar and salt. Mix in rolled oats, wheat germ, peanuts, apricots and cranberries. Press into a parchment-lined 9-inch-square pan and bake 30 minutes at 300 degrees F. Cool, then cut into bars.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Filling:
1 quart strawberries, stemmed and quartered
4 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 orange, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Topping:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 sticks butter, cold, cut into pea-sized pieces
1 teaspoon vanila extract
Pinch salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and stir to be sure everything is well combined. Spoon the filling into 8 x 8 baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats and brown sugar using your hands. Add the butter, vanilla and salt and mix the ingredients until the mixture starts to come together and look crumbly. Crumble the topping over the filling. Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is hot and bubbly all the way through and the topping looks crispy and light brown, about 30 to 35 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream