Rhubarb and Pear Crunchle {Recipe}

I am a cruncher. Lolly pops are short-lived with me. I like texture and jaw workouts. Making biscuits? Burn mine a little, don't give me those chewy numbers.

It is getting damn cold in Melbourne, which means crumble weather. But crumbles are often too, well, crumbly. I want crunchle- sweet fruit filling with spicy, textured, crunchy topping. Like dessert granola. Opps, I've just given it away. This is basically an adapted granola recipe (which means it is healthy right?)

I whipped this up when having guests for dinner after working all day and only arriving home half an hour before they were due to arrive. It is that easy.

Let's get started

You will need:
6 sticks rhubarb chopped into pieces
2-3 pears, peeled and thickly sliced
2 Tbsp caster sugar

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped nuts of your choice
4 Tbsp seeds (I used pepitas and sunflowers)
1/4 cup coconut (flakes are best but I only had dessicated)
1 tsp cinnamon
sea salt to taste (1/2-1 tsp)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
1 eggwhite, beaten
Nutmeg (get the whole seedy nut-like nutmeg, not ground)

Pop your rhubarb and pear in a baking dish and sprinkle with sugar. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway through. You want it just softening and caramelising but not fully cooked.

Place oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Heat honey, syrup and oil in a small saucepan until they are easily combined. Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well. Mix through the beaten egg white (this helps it clump together).

Cover the fruit with the crunchle topping, make it pretty thick.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes until crisp and golden on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Then dish up with lashings of custard.

If you want to feed a lot of people then make a lot more of the fruit mixture and you can use up all the crunchle mixture. If you are making this recipe exactly, you will have a lot of crunchle (granola) left, so spread the extra out on a lined tray and bake until brown and toasted, stirring it around after about 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before breaking up and storing in an airtight container. Breakfast sorted.