It’s almost fall! The autumnal equinox is next week (September 23rd) and my kitchen is ready for soups, squash, roasts, and crisps.
What is your kitchen ready for?
One of my favorite delights in fall are freshly picked apples from a local tree. When it comes to variety I like tender and tart for ripe eating and crisp and tart for baking. McIntosh and Granny Smith are two of my favorite varieties.
An apple crisp is good year-round, but it’s especially nice when the weather changes in fall. Traditional crisps use oats, brown sugar, wheat flour, and butter in the crispy topping. Gluten-free crisp recipes often substitute rice flour and starches for the wheat flour and quinoa flakes for the oatmeal, but I decided to skip those ingredients in favor of something simpler – nut flour made simply from ground hazelnuts or almonds. I also made it dairy-free and refined sugar-free to keep it healthier. Whether you use hazelnut or almond flour in this recipe, you’ll find that the tender meal is flavorful, crispy, and it tastes just like your grandmother used to make. For an extra special treat, top your crisp with a large spoonful of Coconut Bliss ice cream.
Ingredients
6 medium tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup R.W. Knudsen organic apple juice
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill arrowroot starch
2 cups Bob’s Red Mill hazelnut flour or blanched almond meal
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Earth Balance vegan butter sticks, melted
1/4 cup Wholesome Sweeteners agave syrup
1 tablespoon Simply Organic vanilla extract
Mint leaves for garnish (optional)
To Assemble:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom of an 11×17 glass baking dish with vegan margarine.
2. In a large bowl toss the apples with the lemon and apple juice.
3. Stir in the maple syrup.
4. Sprinkle the arrowroot starch over top and mix to combine.
5. Pour apple mixture into the glass baking dish. Set aside.
6. In a medium bowl, combine the hazelnut or almond flours with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
7. Whisk together the melted margarine, agave syrup, and vanilla and pour into the nut flour mixture.
8. After it’s well-combined, use your fingers or a spoon to drop small amounts of the nut mixture evenly across the top of the crisp.
9. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes or until the apples are tender and the juices bubble.
10. Serve warm with a fresh mint leaf for garnish.
