Apple crisp is a perfect dessert for fall! Full of apples and spice flavors, but without refined sugars and starches, this grain free apple crisp works well for anyone, including gluten free, GAPS, grain free, and even nut free with one substitution! Enjoy a favorite fall dessert with so little guilt you may end up serving it for breakfast!
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While pumpkin gets a lot of attention every fall, apple treats are also a crowd-pleasing favorite. Some people just aren’t that crazy about pumpkin, oddly, but many of those people love all the homey, apple-y treats– apple pie, apple crisp, apple cider donuts….
A helpful feature of apple desserts is that they can be pretty easy to make with little to no sugar. This recipe calls for a bit of honey; honey is GAPS friendly, contributes small health benefits, and doesn’t wreak quite as much havoc on blood sugar as other sweeteners, especially combined with some fiber and fat.
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Honey is sugar, so you still don’t want to go too crazy with it, especially if you have blood sugar problems. Still, it may be slightly better than more processed sugars. There is some evidence that honey can even be beneficial for gut health.
Sadly, once we bake our apple crisp, the raw honey will lose some benefits. However, we don’t need much honey, anyway! If you top your crisp with an easy vanilla ice cream with raw honey as well, you could still reap some benefits of raw honey.
How to Make an Old Fashioned Grain Free Apple Crisp
It may not seem very old fashioned to skip the grains in an apple crisp! Traditional apple crisp recipes call for oats and flour. Familiar, delicious, and simple to make!
If, for whatever reason, you aren’t eating oats and flour, there is no need to forgo your apple and other fruit crisps! In fact, not only are they still delicious with very little sweetening, but a crisp is simple to make. No fiddling with pie crusts that don’t want to hold together without gluten!
The process is about the same as your grandmother’s recipe:
Peel and slice or chop your apples. Spread them in a baking dish and toss with some spices and a little lemon juice.
In a bowl, cut cold butter into coconut flour and more spices. Work in a little honey and chopped walnuts. Can’t eat nuts? Keep reading for substitutions!
Spread the topping over your apples and bake. That’s it! Easier than pie.
Of course, there is nothing at all wrong with eating apple crisp plain. It is just delicious, especially warm or hot from the oven.
Also, adding a creamy topping elevates the whole thing! Whipped cream or vanilla or cinnamon ice cream are classics, but there are other options. GAPS vanilla ice cream or plain or whipped and lightly honey-sweetened cultured cream would be good options for GAPS people. Plain coconut or dairy yogurt could make your apple crisp into a breakfast!
Old Fashioned Grain Free Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 6-8 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced or chopped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 T) optional
- 1/2 C good quality butter
- 1/3 C coconut flour freshly ground for GAPS diet
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- dash salt
- 2 T honey
- 1 C coarsely chopped walnuts carefully prepared for digestibility (see below)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Spread apple slices in 9×13" (or similarly sized) baking dish. Toss with lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a small bowl, mix coconut flour with cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter and mix with pastry blender, 2 forks, or your fingers until everything is mixed and butter is in smallish bits.
- Mix in honey, then walnuts. Spread over the top of the apples.
- Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes, or until apples are soft and topping is browned.
- Serve warm, possibly with whipped cream, whipped coconut cream, or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Make a Grain Free Apple Crisp Your Way!
- use more than one variety or apple for a more complex flavor
- combine apple and pear for a subtly different, slightly sweeter result
- leave out the sugar entirely if you need to, or substitute something else you normally like in baked goods– if you aren’t on the GAPS diet, you could use regular or brown sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, or a sugar substitute
- sweeten the apples a little with honey– not necessary, but maybe preferable to people used to eating sweeter desserts
- if you are on the GAPS diet, date sugar will work in place of the honey
- change the spices– leave on out, or try ginger, cloves, or cardamom
- no nuts? You can substitute coconut flakes or any seeds you like that suit your diet– sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds (pepitas) work fine.
Looking for other fall fruit desserts? Try a pear crisp or gingerbread pear apple crisp.
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