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This might just be better than chocolate. According to my husband anyway. This one just so happens to be his favorite fall dessert.
Apples are a beautiful, naturally sweet fruit....they don't need lots of added sugar in desserts. A little bit to enhance it is plenty. Apple crisp is notoriously full of butter and sugar, but not this one. It's so much healthier, yet to-die-for delicious. A gluten-free apple crisp as well!
INGREDIENTS
Filling
- 3 small honey crisp apples (You will need 1 lb, about 5 cups, total combined of sliced apples
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (I love a strong cinnamon flavor, but feel free to use less if you don't)
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar (the thick golden crystals-3 packets)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans (you can leave out if you want, but I love the crunch and flavor they add)
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
Topping
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free old fashioned oats (not instant), separated
- 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Optional: extra raw sugar for sprinkling on top
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease the bottom of a 9 inch pie dish.
- Peel and slice the apples into wedges, about 1/4 inch thick. I chose to use honey crisp apples in this dish because of their natural sweetness, making the need for sugar very minimal. Add them to a large bowl and set aside.
- In a small cup, add the remaining "filling" ingredients and stir. Pour over the apples and stir and coat them very well. Spread the apples out into the greased pie dish.
- In a medium bowl, combine the syrup and almond butter (listed under "topping"). Set aside.
- In a food processor, add only 3/4 cup of the oats into a food processor and process until a fine flour forms. I let mine run about 2 minutes. Add the oat flour, remaining oats, almond flour and cinnamon (1 tsp) to the bowl with the syrup/almond butter mixture. Stir well.
- Pour the topping mix over the apples and spread out evenly. Sprinkle additional raw sugar on top, if desired. I sprinkled some to give it some more crunch and a nice sheen. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the apples are tender, when pierced with a fork and the top is very golden brown. Best served straight out of the oven and aside my Cinnamon ice cream !
