Ready for a tasty treat made without refined sugar or gluten? Then you must try this Gluten-Free Apple Crisp + Greek Yogurt Ice Cream! I love apple pie, apple crisp, baked apples, fresh apples, applesauce, apples + peanut butter, apples on my salad, basically…if it’s got apples, I want it!
Josh and I have lived in our house about a year and a half now. I was pregnant most of the first year and we took daily walks in the evening, both for exercise and time together outdoors. We got to meet a lot of our neighbors this way, causing us to fall even more in love with our home and the area we live. One of our neighbors is an absolutely lovely couple, who we think the world of, and they have a granddaughter that is just a few months older than Brighton. Anyway, as a hobby, our neighbor has bees and makes his own honey! We love honey, and even better when it’s locally made! Our neighbor was so very sweet and gave us a jar of his honey – my understanding is that different bees make different types of honey, these particular bees made a lovely sweet, amber honey – so good!
With a slew of apples in my pantry, along with his gracious gift, I couldn’t help but use it to make a healthy, tasty treat! And I was thrilled with the outcome! Quite often people use Granny Smith apples or a more tart apple when it comes to baking, with this crisp, I think it is totally about your preference. If you prefer a sweeter crisp, go for a Golden Delicious or Gala apple, if you like a hint of tartness, try the Granny Smiths or Pink Ladies! You can also adjust the sweetness by the amount of honey you choose to add.
That’s part of what I love about apple crisp, you can change it up so easily to suit your preferred tastes or dietary needs.
Vegan? Use maple syrup in place of the honey and coconut oil to replace the butter.
No gluten concerns? Substitute with whatever regular flour you have on hand.
No Hazelnut meal available? Just use almond meal or any other nut meal you have or have access to.
And when it comes to the Greek Yogurt Ice Cream, this is a delightful healthy option to top it with, but of course you can use store-bought or a dairy alternative ice cream if needed. Again, so many options, and it’s likely that every one of them will turn out a warm, mouth-watering, irresistible dessert!
I hope you enjoy this gluten-free, refined-sugar free apple crisp as much as we did! For some additional health benefits of the ingredients used in my recipe, check out the info below.
Happy cooking!
Health Benefits of this Gluten-Free Apple Crisp:
- Apple: The soluble fiber (pectin), helps prevent plaque buildup in blood vessels while the insoluble fiber (cellulose), helps the digestive system move waste quickly through the intestinal tract by adding bulk. Apples are rich in calcium, iron, phosphorus and potassium, as well as B-complex folates and vitamins A and C.
- Honey contains antioxidants that neutralize free radicals which have the potential to lead to infections or cancer. It may also help with healing inflammation.
- Cinnamon: Contains high levels of iron, fiber, calcium and manganese. Cinnamon can possibly prevent the accumulation of some fats.
- Hazelnuts contains phytopchemicals, including proanthocyanidins, quercetin and kaempherol. These proanthocyanidins belong to a group called the flavonoids. Flavonoids may support brain health, improve circulation and reduce symptoms associated with allergies.
- Pecans can lower your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The dietary fiber, unsaturated fatty acids and magnesium in nuts may contribute to this benefit. Nuts are low-glycemic because consuming them does not lead to unhealthy, dramatic spikes in your blood sugar levels. Eating nuts with other low-glycemic foods can further control your blood sugar levels.
- Unsweetened Shredded coconut provides a significant amount of fiber. Fiber helps add bulk to your diet and slows down the emptying of your stomach, helping you feel full for longer. It may also lower cholesterol and improve your blood sugar control. It is also a good source for manganese and copper. You need manganese for forming strong bones and processing cholesterol and copper for forming red blood cells and proper immune function.
- Organic Butter does not contain the toxic pesticides found in conventional alternatives and is high in Vitamin A, as well as other fat-soluble vitamins such as D, E and K. It also has other minerals such as iodine, calcium and potassium.
Gluten-Free Apple Crisp + Greek Yogurt Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 3 cups baking apples peeled and sliced
- 1/4 cup local honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- pinch salt
- Topping:
- 1/4 cup Hazelnut meal
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
- 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp organic butter
- 1 tbsp local honey
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Peal and slice apples and add to oven safe pie plate, drizzle with honey, sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt on top, stir with spoon to mix well.
- In small bowl, combine hazelnut meal, chopped pecans, gluten-free flour, unsweetened coconut, butter, honey and cinnamon, stir well to combine, should be a crumbly mixture.
- Add topping to sliced apples, bake at 375 degrees for 28-30 minutes or until apples are cooked through and topping is golden brown
- Top with scoop of Greek Yogurt Ice Cream (see below) or ice cream of choice and serve!
- For the GREEK YOGURT ICE CREAM - Mix 1 cup honey Greek yogurt, 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 1 cup honey in a freezer safe bowl. Freeze for 30 minutes, remove and stir well, then freeze for another 30 minutes. Repeat 3-4 times or until ice cream has reached desired consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
Health Benefits information taken from LIVESTRONG.com
