Here’s a lovely seasonal treat –gluten free apple crisp that’s simple and easy to make with very few, and very healthy ingredients. This recipe for Granny Smith Apple Crisp is particularly low carb because I use the low glycemic sweetener xylitol.
Since so many people have written to me to tell me they do not use agave, I thought it would be nice to research a variety of alternative sweeteners and experiment with them. Hence the use of xylitol (a low glycemic sweetener) in this recipe. My children couldn’t taste the difference and my doctor highly recommends xylitol for those that can digest it –it is not as easy to digest as agave for some people.
As always, use the ingredients that suit you best, and take the time to experiment with substitutions, as I cannot answer your (or my own) substitution questions without actually testing them in real life in my real kitchen.
As you can see from the note above, this recipe was a major hit with my older son. He left me a note on the dessert that said, “Mom, please do not let ANYONE eat the crisp. I want to eat it. TKS (Thanks).”
Granny Smith Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 slices, then quarter each slice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon xylitol
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
Topping
- 1 cup blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons xylitol
Instructions
- In a 1.5 quart pyrex bowl, toss apples, xylitol and lemon juice
- Stir water and arrowroot together to make a slurry then toss into apple mixture
- In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, salt and cinnamon
- In a small bowl combine vanilla, coconut oil and xylitol
- Stir wet ingredients into dry --mixture will be very crumbly
- Sprinkle topping over apple mixture
- Bake covered at 350°F for 45 minutes, until apples are soft and topping is golden brown
Every fall when I begin baking fruit desserts in earnest, I have the same internal dialogue –what is the exact difference between a crumble and a crisp? And every fall, without fail, I pull out my well worn copy of the Joy of Cooking
“For a crisp, the flour, butter, and sugar are mixed together like pie dough before the liquid is added, and the mixture scattered over the top.”
“A crunch is fruit sandwiched between two layers of sweetened, buttered crumbs; it is served cut into squares, like bar cookies , but is more fragile…Crumble is the British name for a crisp or crunch with oatmeal in the topping.”
Here are some more healthy gluten free recipes using apples:
–Cinnamon Apple Cake
–Caramel Apples
–Fennel Apple Soup
Charlotte Moore says
We put oatmeal in our crisp in the south. Or at least most of us do. I always thought that made it a crisp and not a cobbler.
c says
most peeps allergic to gluten cant have oats!
Lisa W says
Oh man, that note is too funny! Thanks for sharing that with us! LOL.
Julia says
I’ve never baked with Xylitol but this looks delish, so Im might have to just give it a go :) How cute that your son loved it SO much!
Jordan says
Thanks so much for this recipe! I just got a TON of granny smiths from my CSA share yesterday, so I’m definitely going to try it tomorrow, though I am going to use stevia instead.
Paulina says
Thanks for using an agave substitute! I am expecting my first child, so agave is on the can’t-eat list for me right now. I think this might be tasty made with quinoa flakes as well, to imitate the traditional topping of rolled oats.
Jessy (squeezetheday) says
Haha, that note from you son is so cute! :)
GrainFreeGroupie says
i made something very similar for rosh hashanah last week! i used stevia instead, and also some dried cherries and walnuts. it was pretty good but a bit drier than i would have liked- i wonder if the arrowroot and lemon juice might have helped with that?
Angela says
Elana – love these ideas. I had made a gluten-free, sugar-free apple pie crumble just last week and it also turned out really good. A lady commented that they had already made it twice it’s so good. Plus the apples are so good for you. An apple a day…
Here’s the recipe:
http://www.homecookedhealthy.com/index.php?p=1400
susan says
THis link does not work…
pamela says
I’m trying this over the weekend. It sounds perfect. I may try it as written and then with stevia.
Danielle Mateyka says
I just made this. Sooo good. I used stevia instead of xylitol and I added 1/4 cup of chopped dried cranberries to the filling. Just the other night I made your pumpkin muffins that were also amazing.
jodie says
Me too! I was just trying to figure out why she never uses stevia which is an all natural sugar substitute.. it makes no sense to me – I absolutely love this website – it has completely changed the way I bake, but I always use stevia or stevia and applesauce in her recipies! Glad I am not the only one!
Lisa Daniel says
I don’t use stevia because It does not taste good to me. i’ve tried and ruined wonderful recipes with it. Xylitol tastes like regular sugar but is better for you. It is great though if it works for you. =)
Sherry Bray says
It is hard to find xylitol here to bake with.
Susie Seel says
How much stevia did you use
Danielle Mateyka says
I used the pre-measured packets. I used one in the filling mixture and two in the almond topping. You couldn’t taste the stevia at all. My husband who is super sensitive to the funny stevia flavor couldn’t detect any.