I wanted Blueberry Tahini Crisp to be the first dessert I shared because it perfectly encapsulates my philosophy when it comes to the MIND Diet in general, but especially with regard to sweets. Fortunately, the MIND Diet was designed with health and sustainability in mind and does not restrict any specific food or food groups, even sugar and sweets. While consumption of pastries and sweets is encouraged to be kept to less than five a week, you can still have dessert AND a brain-healthy lifestyle.

Personally, when I make day-to-day desserts, I ensure there are some nutritional components and some harm reduction to them, and save the purely indulgent treats for special occasions. Blueberry Tahini Crisp is a perfect example of this philosophy. It has neuroprotective blueberries, whole-grain oats, nutrient-rich tahini, and cognition-enhancing cinnamon. I’ve cut back on the sugar and the butter, replacing half of it with avocado oil (feel free to use olive oil if desired). This crisp still has the irreplaceable flavor of butter, but will keep you below the one-tablespoon-per-day recommendation of the MIND Diet.

This is the tahini that I use. I keep some on hand for use in baking, salad dressings, sauces; you can even make homemade hummus with it if you’re motivated to do so. We’ll be using tahini in future recipes as well.

The juicy berries combined with the nutty topping makes Blueberry Tahini Crisp so scrumptious and satisfying (I even eat the leftovers for breakfast!). I hope you’ll give this one a try.

Blueberry Tahini Crisp

Juicy berries combined with a sesame topping makes this a brain-healthy, scrumptious, and satisfying dessert.

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Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 6

Notes

You can use regular blueberries instead of wild, but the crisp may need to bake for a few more minutes. If you have old-fashioned oats on hand, you can grind them in a food processor until they are reduced in size by half or one-third. This dessert is meant to be less sweet to reduce the amount of sugar consumed. If more sweetness is needed, lightly drizzle individual servings with honey to taste.

Ingredients

  

Ingredients

• 4 cups frozen blueberries preferably wild, or 2 pints fresh blueberries
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats divided
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar divided
• 4 tablespoons butter cut into squares, softened
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Toasted sesame seeds optional
• Honey optional

Instructions

 

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 350 °F. In a medium bowl, toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup of the oats and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.
• Wipe out the bowl. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups oats, remaining 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar, butter, oil, tahini, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until evenly moistened.
• With wet hands, squeeze the mixture into small almond-size clumps and scatter over the berry mixture. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are bubbling and the crisp is golden brown. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzling with honey to taste if needed for sweetness.

Keyword Blueberries, Brain health, Cinnamon, Low sugar, MIND Diet, Oatmeal, Tahini