Apple Crisp
It’s been a long time since I’ve had apple pie or apple crisp but as the weather has turned cool, I’ve had my mind on some desserts that my Mama, Dolly, used to make.
You know the ones that will live on in your heart forever? One of them that came to mind was an apple crisp. Mama used to can apples so she always had her apples ready to go and she could whip her apple crisp up in no time flat. She put the apples in a pyrex baking dish, added an entire box of butter recipe cake mix to the top and then dotted it with butter. Oh my goodness, the smell of this crisp and the taste was out of this world. There was no need to sweeten the apples, the cake mix did that for you. This was an apple crisp that I learned to make as a young girl.
These days, I’m not eating gluten so I had to find another way to enjoy this apple crisp this winter. What I came up with isn’t as sweet as what Mama used to make, but since I don’t eat sugar very often, it was perfect for me.
And, because I was feeling very nostalgic (and a little lazy), I decided to bust out my Grandmother’s apple corer and see if it is all it’s cracked up to be to help peel and core these apples.
I bet it hasn’t been used for 30 years and it still worked like a charm!
Since I used the apple corer, it peeled, cored and sliced the apples like a slinky. I then just made two cuts vertically to make uniform chunks of apple. There were a few pieces that had a little peeling on it and I left it. It adds to the rustic beauty of it all.
If the sound of my Mama’s apple crisp has completely set your heart on fire, then you’ve got the recipe for it right there in the first paragraph above. It really is that simple.
If you want a healthier, more gut-friendly version, then check out my recipe below.
Pro tip: put your apple slices in a little bit of salted water so they don’t turn brown before you get all the apples chopped.
Apple Crisp Recipe (Sugar-free, Gluten-free, Paleo, and Vegan-friendly)
Apple filling:
5-7 medium apples (I used honeycrisp apples)
¼ cup apple cider or water
1 Tablespoon maple syrup (I use this brand)
1½ Tablespoons lemon juice (I use this brand)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Crisp topping:
¾ c almond flour (I use this brand)
¼ c cassava flour (or this gluten free flour)
1-½ Tablespoons Tapioca Flour
½ c. chopped pecans
1/3 c coconut sugar (I use this brand)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
5 tablespoons Vital Farms organic butter or for a completely vegan dessert, use Miyoko Creamery’s vegan butter
Directions: Peel and slice the apples.
Spray your 9” pie plate with some avocado oil and place your sliced apples in your pie plate. Stir in the other ingredients so that the apples are coated. Then mix together the topping ingredients and pour over the apples. Use the butter to dot the top and then bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Nothing is better with apple crisp than some vanilla ice cream. I didn’t have any and am trying to not eat dairy so I whipped up some coconut cream with an immersion blender and dolloped a little on top. Yummmmmmmmm......so good!😊