I don’t know how to say it any other way. I’m a sucker for apple crisp. It’s easy to make –so much simpler than apple pie! It’s also a consistent crowd pleaser, my boys both request and devour it on a regular basis. Nothing makes them quite as happy as walking into the house after school to a freshly baked apple crisp.
Although I have other apple crisp recipes, I created this one because I wanted a crisp recipe that was more like an apple crunch, i.e., a baked fruit dessert with a very crunchy topping. The chopped pecans in this easy apple crisp recipe give the topping a fabulous consistency.
Pecan Apple Crisp
Ingredients
- 6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ cup palm shortening
- 1½ cups chopped pecans
Instructions
- Place apples and lemon juice in an 7 x 11 inch baking dish; set aside
- In a food processor, combine almond flour, coconut sugar, and salt
- Pulse in shortening
- Very briefly pulse in pecans
- Sprinkle topping over apples
- Cover with tin foil and bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes, or until juices are bubbling
- Increase heat to 400°F and bake 8-15 minutes, watching closely, to brown top of crisp
- Serve
This apple crisp recipe was inspired by one in the Pioneer Woman’s book A Year of Holidays. In her New York Times bestseller Ree has a Thanksgiving recipe called Caramel Apple Pie. For an extra decadent treat, top my gluten-free Pecan Apple Crisp with my luscious Caramel Sauce and homemade whipped cream.
Some folks might wonder what a gluten-free, Paleo blogger is doing with a copy of The Pioneer Woman’s book. First, I’m a huge fan of Ree’s, she is an incredible home schooling mom, amazing photographer, and inspiring woman! And her recipes look absolutely delicious. Of course, I can’t eat them as written. However, I love looking at “regular” cookbooks (not for special diets) to see how folks cook.
If you have loads of apples, check out my Healthy Apple Recipes page! My boys love my Baked Apples recipe, it’s a great one for beginners if you want to teach your children how to cook.
If you’ve had enough of apple recipes, and want a taste of summer, pull some peaches out of the freezer and try my Paleo Peach Crisp recipe. Whatever you decide upon, happy baking. Fruit desserts are the best!
Jeanna says
Hi There!
Thanks so much for your amazing recipes! I am allergic to almonds, but I can eat other nuts (with the exception of peanuts). Do you recommend any type of replacement for almond meal?
Thanks again!
Elana says
Jeanna, I haven’t tested that so not sure.
Pat says
I substituted two large medjool dates for the palm sugar and home-made ghee (refrigerated so it can be cut an cubed) for the palm shortening. Delicious. But not vegan.
Elana says
Thanks Pat!
Pauline Rosenberg says
This is a very yummy recipe. However, I substituted the palm shortening with organic coconut oil and it was even yummier. much richer and sweeter flavor.
Elana says
Glad you liked it Pauline :-)
Jennifer says
Delicious. I used coconut oil and added cinnamon to the apples. Also, I used whole pecan halves instead of chopped and pulsed those in until a bit crumbled so that the food processor did the chopping. I think I’m going to want this every week!
Martha says
I’ve made this for my family several times Elana and it’s delicious! We like it warm with cashew milk ice cream. Honestly, it’s as good as any regular crisp. I didn’t have coconut sugar so subbed sucanot – yummie…thank you!
J. Campbell says
Do you happen to know how many carbs there are per serving by chance? Thank you!
Ash says
I love this recipe. I add cinnamon and vanilla for the topping as well as a dash of cinnamon with the apples. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Every other gluten free crisp has been a disappointment, but this one lived up to my favourite oatmeal and flour recipe!
Amy Wasserman says
Best grain free crisp topping! I used coconut oil instead of palm shortening. I also added cranberries to apples because that’s how I roll.
Elana says
Thanks so much Amy! So glad to hear this is the best grain-free crisp topping :-)