Healthy and Delicious Nut-Free Apple Crumble

My family and I love this healthy and delicious nut-free apple crumble that is delicious, free from nuts, eggs and dairy and will leave you feeling nourished!

It’s a special day in our household when all of my kids love a treat I bake. Let me tell you that it’s quite a rare moment when I win the hearts of all of them with my baking! Can anyone else relate?

Not because it’s not delicious, but because they all have different preferences and tastes (like all humans, right?!). But it makes it tricky to bake something that I know they will all love. So, I bake and bake and bake.

In our home, there is no such thing as a getting your way with food. You get what is put on your plate and it’s your choice whether you want to eat it or not. The same rule applies for baked goods. We are currently eliminating 90% of packaged food in our house because a) it’s expensive and b) my kids don’t need the extra additives, preservatives, sugar and whatever else is in packaged food (even if we choose to buy the healthier options).

Hence why we bake a lot. And hence why half of my blog is dedicated to nutritious and gut-friendly foods!

Why does this apple crumble hit the spot?

It’s a simple recipe. And we are all about simple over here. The essential ingredients are red apples (of course), butter, brown sugar, oats, lemon and flour. That’s it.

I find that many apple crumble recipes are too complicated or contain a lot more ingredients. As a mum of littles, I am always on the hunt for simple, minimal ingredient recipes, so this is perfect!

Even though it’s a simple recipe, with minimal ingredients, it’s quite filling, so a little bit goes a long way.

My whole foods approach

As a Holistic Nutrition Consultant, I am all about whole foods. And you’re probably thinking, but there’s sugar in the recipe?! We do not shy away from sugar in our home, because we make sure it’s organic and unrefined. That’s the difference. And no, I am not going to judge you if you use refined sugar. That is just our preference!

We use flour too. Depending on our dietary needs (sometimes I prefer gluten-free for my gut, so we use gluten-free, almond meal or coconut flour), we vary our flour from time to time. However, most of the time we use whole grain flour, organic spelt flour or organic plain flour.

For this recipe, any sugar or flour will work, depending on your preference/dietary requirements, so it’s quite versatile in that way!

Want to make the apple crumble gluten-free?

If you do not tolerate gluten or have a gluten-free preference, then you can replace the oats with quinoa flakes and the flour with almond meal or gluten-free plain flour. It’s totally up to you!

Let’s get baking!

Healthy and Delicious Nut-Free Apple Crumble Recipe

The base

• Chop up 6-8 apples (I like to use red apples, but you can use green too) and place in an oven-proof ceramic dish
• Mix 1 lemon, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1tsp nutmeg in a bowl with a whisk
• Pour flour mixture over apples until evenly covered

The crumble

• Combine1 cup rolled oats, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 coconut sugar, 1/4 cup stevia (or organic caster sugar) and mix in a bowl
• Pour oat mixture over base and distribute evenly
• Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over crumble and distribute evenly

Baking time

• You want to cook it at 180C for 30-35 minutes
• If you like it extra crumbly and slightly burnt, keep it in there closer to 35 minutes (I found that by the 33 minute mark it was browned the way I like it)

Ideal toppings to serve it with

It’s actually quite delicious on its own, but there’s nothing like a fresh dollop of cream or ice cream (if you want to go all out) to pair it with. You can also eat it with some Greek yoghurt or plain yoghurt for a healthier, lighter option.

For the dairy-free people out there, coconut yoghurt would be an ideal topping!

Tips

You can choose to peel the skin off the apples (as my children would much prefer), however, to save time and for extra nutritional value, I suggest leaving the skin on, as it doesn’t really make a difference to the taste.

I can’t emphasise how important it is to distribute the base flour, the crumble and the butter evenly over the entire surface, as this eliminates any uncooked flour, burnt apples and unbuttered crumble (and who wants that?).

If you are using quinoa flakes instead of oats for a gluten-free option, I suggest adding about a 1/4 cup extra flour to make it more crumbly, as quinoa flakes won’t turn out as crispy as oats do when baked.

I like to stir in the flour with my apples and then the crumble, rather than pour it on top and leave it. I find that this makes the base creamier and less dry.

If you like your apples super soft, feel free to steam them for about 5-7 minutes before making the recipe. This will make the apples softer and juicier if you prefer it that way. If you want to steam your apples, it is best to peel them first. It might just be a personal opinion, but I don’t like my apples steamed with the skin on.

If you want extra nutrient value and deliciousness (and only if you can afford it), make your apple crumble with only the highest quality ingredients: organic apples, organic unrefined flour, organic unrefined sugar and grass-fed butter. It really does make a difference for your gut when you are eating high quality foods, even when it comes to baked goods!

Tools to use

• Mixing bowl
• Whisk
• Oven-proof ceramic baker (here)
• Measuring cup
• Knife (my Baccarat knife set here)
• Chopping board
• Citrus reamer

Healthy and Delicious Nut-Free Apple Crumble

This healthy nut-free apple crumble is simple to make, delicious to eat and good for your gut!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Australian

Servings 6

Equipment

• 1 Chopping board (preferably glass)
• 1 Fruit knife
• 1 Large mixing bowl
• 1 Ceramic Rectangular Baker (29x21cm)
• 1 Small microwave-safe bowl
• 1 Whisk
• 1 Oven

Ingredients

  

• 6 Red Apples (or green if preferred)
• 1 Lemon
• 1/4 cup Flour (plain or gluten-free)
• 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Nutmeg

Crumble

• 1 cup Rolled Oats (quinoa flakes if gluten-free)
• 1/2 cup Flour (plain or gluten-free)
• 1/4 cup Coconut Sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup Stevia (or caster sugar)
• 1/2 cup Melted Butter

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven at 180C.

Base

• Chop up apples into small pieces and spread evenly over base of ceramic baker.
• In a bowl, mix in lemon, water, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Pour flour mixture over apples and distribute evenly.

Crumble

• Combine oats, flour and sugars together in a bowl and pour over base evenly.
• Melt butter in a microwave-safe dish for 30 seconds.
• Pour butter over crumble and distribute evenly.
• Pop baker into oven for 30-35 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your apple crumble (30 minutes for less, 35 minutes for extra crispy).
• Once out of the oven and cooled, serve with your choice of topping (my favourite is a dollop of cream!)

Keyword Apple crumble, Dairy free, Dessert, Healthy, Nourishing, Nut free

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