Gorgeous, local apples are still flooding markets and grocery stores, so I decided to take advantage of these wholesome beauties and make a warming apple-berry crisp.
Given that there is no shortage of crisp, cobbler and crumble recipes out there, I wanted to challenge myself to put together a topping that was every bit as delicious as the best ones available, while sourcing it primarily from natural sugars and gluten free grains/nuts. I also decided to make this version vegan (egg free, dairy free) so that it would suit most dietary restrictions.
The result is a warm, comforting and full-flavoured dessert, with little surprises in the topping that will pleasure your senses in a whole new way! (now there’s a claim I hope I can live up to – wink).
I hope you will give it a try and discover that you don’t need to use a cup of sugar and white flour to create a heavenly tasting crisp.
For the fruit mixture:
-
6 lovely seasonal apples, (I used McIntosh), peeled and sliced
-
2 cups frozen raspberries
-
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
-
2 Tbsp water
-
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
-
2 tsp natural vanilla extract
-
1/3 cup quinoa flakes
-
1/4 scant cup coconut flour
-
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
-
1/4 cup coconut sugar, substitute other coarse grain sugar
-
4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
-
1 + 1/2 tsp cinnamon
-
3 or 4 Tbsp coconut oil
—————
What a delightful treat for the season…beautiful and delicious!
I love the combination of apples and raspberries and nothing makes me happier than a crisp so you’ve ticked all the boxes for me. It’s especially good because everyone at the table can eat it.
I want a big bowl of this right now. I’m fighting a nasty bugger of a virus this week and all I seem to want are warm, comforting foods. This would put a bit of a healthy twist on that for me too. :) I’ve never combined apples and berries, but I have no doubt that I would LOVE it!
Now this would be a great dessert to try out.. I love crisps and cobblers, the quinoa is so healthy and the dates would be an awesome texture! Love it!
I only got a few seasonal apples this year and promptly made apple sauce. I need to look for some quionoa flakes. Your dessert looks delicious.
This looks incredible!!! Although I know I’d be topping it with a giant scoop of vanilla ice cream – my weakness!
Kelly, you are the only blogger I know who doesn’t scare me with words like “diary free” or “gluten free” or other restriction describing terms because I know that whatever strict rules you apply to a dish it will end up gorgeous, tempting and certainly luscious. This crumble is no exception. The idea to combine apples with raspberries sounds great too and I must tell you I am in awe of your ingredients’ photos! I had no idea that ingredients can look so beautiful! I wonder how you made this miracle…
I cannot imagine a healthier or more decadent dessert in one my friend :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
http://gobakeyourself.wordpress.com/
What a great treat to make with local apples! Wish I had some raspberries. Love the crisp topping; however, I’ve never had quinoa flakes so not quite sure about their texture but I’ll assume they have the nuttiness of regular quinoa. Beautiful crisp and I love all of your pictures!!! The use of the crumbled paperbag was clever. Might steal that idea. :) Have a marvelous weekend Kelly!
I have always loved apple crisp but have never tried it with raspberries. I will have to give it a try. BTW, your photos are excellent.
Mmmm what a yummy treat! Your crumble sounds awesome and I feel so good about the ingredients you used! I love coconut sugar, but I haven’t tried coconut flour yet…though I have a big bag in the pantry!
Thanks Kelly.
What a delightful end to a meal this would be.
:-) Mandy
I looove all the ingredients in here but I haven’t made crisp before yet. I know it needs to be changed this season! Must be such a comforting dessert to end the meal!
You make the most delicious and healthiest sweets! The crisp looks so tempting!
I do the same as you do with apples, instead of coring them! This looks super – raspberries always add such lovely colour and tanginess to desserts.
This type of dessert is certainly comfort food and good for you too. That crumble looks delightful.
Ohhh I just love this. Dates in the crumble. I will have to try this. It’s like “of course, how come i didn’t think of that!” . I love the color that raspberries bring to this dessert. Gorgeous photos Kelly.
I never thought to combine fall fruits and summer fruits in a crisp…but I think it’s a great idea! So creative with your topping. Thankfully I have no need to go dairy/gluten free but this would be a nice change anyway :) I have actually recently discovered coconut oil and absolutely love it. I also use it to keep my skin soft (and to smell amazing)!!
Thanks Eva! I’m glad you like the recipe… Just to clarify, the coconut oil has similar ‘solid’ properties as butter so for those who are not eating butter because they are vegan or dairy free, coconut oil mimics the texture of butter relatively well in the crisp. In terms of health properties, I think the argument can be made that both butter and coconut oil (stable, naturally occurring saturated fats) are perfectly acceptable in moderate amounts in healthy individuals. If ever you’re interested in learning more about the complex subject of fats (we are constantly being bombarded with conflicting information as consumers), I highly recommend Mary Enig’s “Know Your Fats” an excellent book that helps demystify. Cheers Eva :).
There is absolutely everything to love about this tempting but healthy dessert. I love quinoa and am excited to hear about the flakes. I’ve seen coconut oil around a bit, and I didn’t realize it was such a healthy alternative to butter. JT adores crisps so this will be on our list to try this winter.