Cranberry-Blueberry Crisp with Spelt Flour and Chai Masala Spice Mix

Fruit crisp is one of my favorite desserts, and I make it often, with various fruits and different toppings. The version I have here was made last year, with leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving dinner. It was so tasty, that I plan to make it again for the coming holiday, to be served as the dessert.
The tangy cranberries paired well with the slightly acidic and sweetish blueberries, and their colors blended together into a beautiful, deep purple color.
For the crisp layer, I mixed butter with rolled oats and spelt flour, which gave it a nice, nutty flavor. For added aroma and flavor, I’ve used Indian Chai Masala spice mix (originally used to flavor tea), and it worked very well here. The mix I’ve used contained warm spices, such as ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg and cloves – and the aroma while baking was amazing.
The crisp is quick and easy to make, and can be served warm or cold, which makes it perfect for relaxed entertaining.  It is moderately sweet, as I plan to serve it with a ball of vanilla ice cream on top. Try it and enjoy.

Notes:
* Chai Masala spice mix is used for cooking fragrant Indian tea. The spices in the mix I’ve used here are: ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg and cloves.

Makes: 12-16
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:
For the crisp layer:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup spelt flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
1¼ sticks (145 grams) butter, cold, cut into large cubes
1 tsp Chai Masala spice mix (see notes)
1 tsp vanilla paste
¼ tsp salt
For the fruit:
1 lb (454 grams) whole cranberries
1 lb 2 oz (510 grams) fresh blueberries
½ cup sugar
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 355F (180C). Line a 7”x11” (18cm x 28cm) baking pan with foil and baking paper.
2. Place the oats in a food processor bowl, fitted with the metal blade. Add the spelt flour, sugar, butter, spice mix, vanilla and salt, and process to a crumbly mixture. Scatter half of the mixture over the lined pan.

3. Place the cranberries in the food processor bowl, fitted with the metal blade. Chop roughly and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice, and mix well.

4. Layer the fruit mix over the oats mixture in the pan, and scatter the rest of the oats mixture on top.

5. Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, until the top is golden-brown and crisp. (Baking time is fairly long, as the amount of fruit is larger than in most crisps.)
6. The crisp can be spooned warm onto serving plates at this point. Another option is to let it set in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight, so it can be cut into squares.

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Happy belated 4th of July to all!

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