Apple Crisp (Healthier Version, Gluten Free)

This beauty was made with alternative ingredients, so there's no butter and far less sugar. However, the natural sweetness of the apples come through and it is not disappointing (I seriously ate it all by myself within 24 hours). I haven't tried making the vanilla sauce included in the recipe but may try next time.

The original recipe is from: https://www.texanerin.com/paleo-vegan-apple-crisp/

The recipe is here and pictures of the process are below:

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

• 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp. salt

• 5 peeled Gala apples, cut into bite size pieces

Topping:

• 3/4 cup almond flour

• 1 Tbsp. coconut/oat/rice flour (or wheat if you can’t find these kinds)

• 2 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

• 3 Tbsp. room temperature coconut oil, or butter

• 3 Tbsp. maple syrup

• 1 cup chopped pecans or a mixture of pecans, walnuts, or cashews

Vanilla sauce (optional):

• 1 cup (145 grams) raw unsalted cashews, soaked

• 1/2 cup water

• 5 Tbsp. maple syrup

• Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean (or 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste)

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 tsp. lemon juice

• 1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:

To make the apple crisp:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Mix the maple syrup, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl.

3. Place the chopped apples in the maple syrup mixture and stir until the apples are well coated in the mixture. Place in an ungreased glass/ceramic 9” pan or pie pan.

4. Finely chop the nuts for the topping.

5. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the topping ingredients, making sure to break up the coconut oil/butter into smaller pieces.

6. Add the topping to cover the apples. It might not cover all the apples but it’s okay.

7. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the topping is brown and crisp and the apples are bubbling. Cover the crisp with tin foil about 30-35 minutes into the cooking time so the nuts don’t burn and the top doesn’t get too dark.

8. Let cool for 10-20 minutes and serve. If storing overnight, properly cover the crisp with plastic wrap. Do note that the topping gets soft on the second day.

9. 8 servings.

To make vanilla sauce (optional):

1. Soak the cashews by placing them in a glass/ceramic container. Pour enough boiling water over the cashews to cover them. Let them sit 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

2. Drain the cashews and place all the ingredients in a high speed blender jar. Process on high speed for about 40 seconds or until totally smooth and no chunks remain.

3. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.

Chopped up and seasoned apples for the filling.

The crisp before baking.

The crisp after baking and digging into it. The sauce on the bottom was a bit runny, so I added cornstarch to the recipe posted above, but any thickener would work.