Vegan & Gluten Free Apricot Blackberry Crisp

I hear that it's hot. It may have been mentioned once or twice by family, friends, and the news. However, it is far from hot here in supposedly-sunny Southern California. All week it's been cool, cloudy, and even a little rainy. In fact - and some of you will have trouble believing this - I was wearing corduroys and fleece this week. For real. Multiple days. The result? I keep craving warm comfort food even though it's July and I'm sure most of you out there aren't in the mood for warm food. Or using an oven.

So, I apologize. This delicious crisp uses the oven, but you can turn it on and go away for a while, so maybe it's not so bad? In any case, I think it's worth it. Fresh fruit crisps are one of my favorite desserts. Some of them may even beat out some chocolate recipes. Part of the appeal, I believe, comes from their limited make-ability, like gingerbread or s'mores. These crisps are really only best when the fruit is at it's peak. When you've just picked it up at the farmers' market because you just couldn't resist. When each fruit is equally fragrant and flawless. When you can't possibly eat the 3 pounds of apricots you brought home.
Some of you may remember the Apple, Blackberry, & Strawberry Crisp I wrote about in April. That was a vegan recipe, but I've upped the ante and created a vegan and gluten free crisp! For this one, I used the same Sorghum Blend (mix of sorghum flour, potato or corn starch, and tapioca powder) I used in the Patriotic Cupcakes. If you made a full batch for those, you should have enough left that you don't need to mix up more. Don't need to worry about gluten? Just use an equal amount of all-purpose flour instead. Likewise, regular rolled oats work fine. Certified gluten-free oats are important to people with Celiac disease because regular oats can be contaminated with gluten from the fields, processing plant, etc. Finally, I think this is delicious as written. Official Taster thinks it's a little tart. So maybe add a bit more sugar if your taste buds swing that way.

Vegan & Gluten Free Apricot Blackberry Crisp
2 lbs ripe apricots, quartered and pitted (about 12)
8 whole almonds
1 C packed brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
6 oz blackberries (1 clamshell)
1/2 C Sorghum blend
1/2 tsp nutmeg
6 Tbsp chilled vegan butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 C gluten-free rolled oats

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the apricots in a baking dish. I used a 9" glass dish.
2. In a food processor, grind the almonds with 1/4 C brown sugar, and 1 tsp cinnamon for about 30 seconds, or until it's a fine mixture. Scrape this sugar mix over the apricots and toss. Scatter berries across the top.
3. Combine sorghum blend, nutmeg, remaining 1 tsp cinnamon, and butter in a food processor, with several on-off pulses or only until the mixture looks like a coarse meal. Add the oats and pulse a few more times to break them up.
4. Spread topping over fruit. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown