If there was such a thing as a comfort dessert, for me it would be a warm and spicy fruit crumble – if possible topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But there are lots of other excuses for making this versatile indulgence: it easily adapts to most diets (low fat, vegan, etc), allows you to use up fruits that have been lying on the kitchen counter for too long, is ultra simple to make, can be eaten for breakfast, snack or dessert, and the list goes on.
Feel free to use any fruit you’ve got on hand and experiment with different spices. Good tried and tested combos include blueberry cinnamon, cranberry-pear with ginger, apricot vanilla, strawberry rhubarb, apple cardamom. Here is a blueberry apple one laced with cinnamon – it is gluten free and vegan but if you want to use butter and wheat be my guest. Either way it is delicious.
Ingredients
- 4 apples, peeled, cored and diced into cubes
- 2/3 cup blueberries, either fresh or frozen and thawed
- 1 + 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
- 1/4 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup gluten free flour
- 1/3 coconut oil (unflavored) – can be substituted for butter if you like
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- In a large bowl, toss the apples and blueberries with 1 tsp cinnamon and the sugar until the fruits are coated with the dry ingredients
- Place this mixture in a 8-inch oven-proof pie pan
- In a separate bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients. Don’t forget to add the remaining tsp of cinnamon.
- Add coconut oil and maple syrup. Mix with a wooden spoon – or with your hands – until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Spread this oat mixture on top of the apples and blueberries. Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the fruits start bubbling and crumble begins to turn dark golden.
- Take out of the oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving
