Best Gluten-Free Apple Crisp

 

 

Several years ago, when I was living  in the UK, I had the opportunity to visit the Mornflake Oats factory in Crewe in Cheshire.    It was a fascinating day that began with a lovely meal enjoyed out in the middle of an oat field, culminating in a tour of their factory and a question/answer period with the owners.

I love learning about the food we eat and its provenance.  I find it fascinating. 

 

I remember being told on the day that all oats were naturally gluten free, but in order to be designated and packaged at gluten free they had to be grown on a special farm that was in a gluten free area.  Theirs was up on an island in the North of Scotland.

Due to my digestive problems I am having to stay away from gluten and dairy for a month or so to let my gut settle.  Then I can slowly start to introduce some things back into my diet so that I can discover my triggers.

By all means it is not just dairy and gluten I need to avoid, there is a whole list of things, like onions, garlic, legumes, etc.  Not fun!!

 

I have to say I have never been a huge fan of gluten free products.  Sadly, they never quite come up to the tastiness of the original.  I have yet to taste a manufactured loaf of gluten free bread that I enjoyed, and I bought some crackers the other day that were lovely and crisp and which looked for all the world like crackers.

Unfortunately in the mouth they felt and tasted like wall paper paste. Not nice at all.  And they were not a cheap brand, but a well known Gluten Free brand.

 

 

I picked up some gluten free flour to use in baking which measures 1:1.  It is the Bob's Red Mill brand. It was not cheap.  That's the thing with specialized ingredients like this, you pay through the nose for them.

At over $8 for a very tiny bag I am loathe to waste it.  I found a Gluten-Free Apple Crisp recipe here on a blog called Thriving Gluten Free.   It looked and sounded quite good. 

 

I adapted it to make a much smaller portion, so that it feeds only three instead of six. I also adapted it to use Swerve Brown Sugar sugar replacement.  I am a Diabetic also and am trying to watch my sugars and carbs a bit better.

The servings are not huge, but I found them to be quite sufficient.  Large enough for me to be able to enjoy a bit of a treat, but not large enough to regret later on.  I found them to be just right.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE APPLE CRISP

Very simple ingredients really.

For the filling:

• 3 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I recommend Granny Smith)
• 1 TBS brown sugar, packed (Or Swerve Brown Sugar)
• 1/2 TBS lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 TBS cornstarch (corn flour in the UK)

For the crumble topping:

• 1/2 cup (40g) gluten-free oats
• 1/3 cup (50g) gluten free 1:1 flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, cubed and softened
• 2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed (I used Swerve Brown sugar)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch salt 

 

For desserts like this I like to use Granny Smith apples. They are just tart enough but not overly so. You can still eat them out of hand raw, so they are a nice balance of sweet and tart.

I have been using the Swerve sugar replacements in most of my desserts and baking now. It measures one for one like sugar and is made of completely natural ingredients.  No artificial ingredients at all.  My sister is using it in her Keto creations also.

 

  HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE APPLE CRISP

Its not really all that hard to make and goes together very quickly. You will need a small baking dish. I used a ceramic casserole that is about 3 inches by 7 inches in size. You could also use a small Pyrex casserole dish.

 

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 3 1/2 by 7 inch baking dish, or small round casserole dish.

Stir the apple slices, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch together in a bowl. Pour into the baking dish and level off.

 

Toss the oats and flour for the crumble topping in a bowl along with the brown sugar and salt. Add the butter and cut it in until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle this evenly over top of the apples.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.

 

Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, custard or pouring cream.

I enjoyed mine with two cookie scoops of lactose free ice cream and it was just right.    It made for a little treat for me on a dull rainy day when I was wanting to treat myself to something special.

In the pictures it looks like a lot more. The eyes can be very deceiving.  That dish is only about 2 1/2 inches across, and an inch and a half deep.   

It was the right amount for me.

You could use a dairy free alternative for the butter in the recipe if you wished.  Coconut oil would be nice.  In that case the crumble itself would be considered vegan. (Without the cream, ice cream, custard, etc.)

It was actually very good.  I quite enjoyed this little treat!  If you are wanting the full recipe which serves six, do check out the link above! 

Gluten Free Apple Crisp (small batch)

Yield: 3

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min

A old-time classic, redone so that anyone can enjoy it. Tender pieces of spiced apple covered in an oaty crumble. Delicious!

Ingredients

For the apple filling:

• 3 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I recommend Granny Smith)
• 1 TBS brown sugar, packed (Or Swerve Brown Sugar)
• 1/2 TBS lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 TBS cornstarch (corn flour in the UK)

For the Crumble Topping:

• 1/2 cup (40g) gluten-free oats
• 1/3 cup (50g) gluten free 1:1 flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
• 1/4 cup (60g) butter, cubed and softened
• 2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed (I used Swerve Brown sugar)
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 3 1/2 by 7 inch baking dish, or small round casserole dish.
2. Stir the apple slices, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch together in a bowl. Pour into the baking dish and level off.
3. Toss the oats and flour for the crumble topping in a bowl along with the brown sugar and salt. Add the butter and cut it in until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle this evenly over top of the apples.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
5. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, custard or pouring cream.

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