Rhubarb Crisp from the U.S.

In the U.S. you will find desserts that contain a layer of fruit covered with some type of crumbs. They are called cobbler, crumble, or crisp. I brought today a rhubarb crisp and wanted to explain briefly what the similarities are and what are the differences. They all need relatively few ingredients and can easily be made by beginners. Would you like to give this dessert a try? I am sure it will miraculously disappear as quickly and easily as possible, there is only the two of us, however, it was gone so quickly. It really is addictive!
I already introcued an apricot cobbler here. A cobbler usually has a crust or top layer similar to a pie crust. It contains flour, sugar, and butter. The dough is either cut out in circles and placed on top of the fruit or it is dropped onto the fruit with a spoon. Visually speaking it looks similar to cobblestone and hence the name. However, my recipe for apricot cobbler requires a simpler version, I only ask for crumbs to be made. A crisp will typically also have flour, sugar, and butter as the main ingredients. The main difference though is that is HAS to have oats. Usually rolled oats. This yields a crunchier and crispier texture, hence the name crisp. I don’t think that nowadays there is much of a difference between a crisp and a crumble. As far as I understand a crumble means that you create crumbs or streusel, but it seems to be used almost interchangeably. Regardless of the name, all these desserts have relatively few ingredients and are simple to make. It does not surprise me that Americans have a lot of recipes out there.

Print Recipe

Rhubarb Crisp

Serves: One 20x20cm cake form

Prep Time: 15min – Cooking Time: 35min – Total Time: 50min

This rhubarb crisp contains one layer of rhubarb and a layer of crumbs with oats and nuts, which makes it extra crunchy. Give this dessert from the U.S. a try!

Ingredients

• Crisp Layer
• 100g all-purpose flour
• 30 grams of rolled oats
• 30 grams of sliced almonds or other nuts
• 90 grams of brown sugar
• 80 grams of cold butter (or vegan butter if you are making it vegan)
• 
  
• Rhubarb Layer
• 500 grams of rhubarb after cutting
• 30 grams of regular sugar
• 10 grams of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Instructions

1

For the crisp layer combine all ingredients except for the butter in a large bowl. Add the cold butter in chunks and work into crumbs, either by hand or using a machine. Chill in fridge until further use.

2

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. For the rhubarn layer wash and cut rhubarb into slices of about 1-2cm, remove stem and leaves and any bad spots. Mix with remaining ingredients in a bowl. Toss onto a casserole dish (I used a brownie form of 20x20cm). Spread the crumbs on top. Bake on medium rack for about 35 minutes or until crust is golden. Either serve warm or cold with a scoop of ice cream.

If you are interested in more recipes containing oats, how about my basic recipe for porridge, which is gluten-free and can easily be made vegan. You may also check out my recipe for musli granola. Another recommendation is this gluten-free strawberry cake with a nut and oat crust. Check out my cookie category, for example these chocolate oat cookies. Recipes containing oats are always on the crunchy side, which I love, many are gluten-free so what is not to love?