Ahhhh... the sweet smell of Fall... cinnamon, pumpkin, and the distinct crisp smell that strangely accompanies the colorful leaves on the trees. I don’t know about you, but come the first day of October, it’s like a switch goes off in my mind.... give me sweaters, apple-cinnamon everything, and pumpkins all over; regardless of the fact that the weather still reaches upper 70’s until late October in New England and I just end up sweating through my cozy Fall sweaters. All that nonsense aside, one of my absolute, all-time favorite Fall season recipes that just makes me so happy, is my fully paleo-friendly apple crisp. It’s the perfect blend of sweetness and tartness. It’s taken me quite a while to perfect the crumble topping, as oats and butter are normally such staple ingredients in the perfect crumble topping of apple crisp. Fret not, I’ve done the dirty work and tested several recipes until I’ve perfected what I think is the perfect paleo apple crisp! My favorite way to eat it is with a giant scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream, but it tastes just as good by itself!
My favorite apples to use for this crisp are Granny Smiths, but I had some Fuji’s that I decided to mix in too! I love using a variety of apples in my apple desserts just because i like the different textures and flavors that accompany each type! I try to avoid apples that are too moist as they can get soggy and become too mushy in the crisp, which is never fun... watery apple crisp usually results in me trying (but failing) to drain the crisp by tipping the entire glass Pyrex ever so slightly into the sink, while trying to avoid the entire crisp slipping towards the tipped corner and out into the sink. In less confusing words... it’s a hassle that I usually try to avoid if possible!
Let’s talk about arguably the most important part of the apple crisp... the crumble topping. So we all know the delicious oat, butter, and brown sugar topping in a classic apple crisp recipe is by NO MEANS paleo-friendly, and if you weren’t aware, oats can be tough to replace in a recipe... oats provide much of the taste and texture in recipes that they're in. To replace the oat crumble in this recipe, I’ve created a “granola” topping to top the crisp with. It’s perfectly crunchy and also nutty. The nuts add a different dynamic to the flavor that I was unaware that I actually liked! If you think about it, nut and seed butters pair well with apples, so why couldn’t they work as a topping? I've used coconut oil in place of butter, but if you really prefer that buttery taste you can always use Ghee. I’ve linked the full granola recipe here - I like to prepare this in advance and just keep it on hand for snacking and baking!!
Lastly, I’d like to address the great debate of peeled vs unpeeled apples that still stands. Unnecessarily though. In my opinion, it’s a no-brainer - PEEL YOUR DANG APPLES BEFORE BAKING THEM! To each his own, however, I always prefer peeled, just for texture’s sake.
Let’s get to the crisp!
Ingredients
· 6 Granny Smith Apples
· ½ cup monkfruit sweetener
· ¼ cup coconut sugar
· 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
· 1 cup of grain-free granola (recipe here)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Peel and slice apples into a large bowl.
3. Add in the monkfruit sweetener, coconut sugar, and cinnamon and toss to coat apple slices. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
4. Transfer apple mixture into an 8x8 glass Pyrex and top with the grain free granola.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes.
6. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before digging in!
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