Every now and then, we all need a little indulgence!
I make an effort to eat really healthy eighty percent of the time so that I can treat myself the other twenty percent. If you have not already figured it out, I have a huge sweet tooth. So when I speak of indulgences I am always referring to something sweet. And what better way to indulge during these lovely fall months than with this Grain Free Apple Crumble Pie and Salted Caramel Ice Cream??
I mentioned in Monday’s post that I’d be sharing with you the recipes I made for Josh’s birthday dinner, and here they are!
I’ve said it before, but when it comes to having company I typically try to stick to the basics a bit more, even when it’s family. Not everyone wants to eat cookies made with beans or cupcakes topped with an avocado frosting! So I opted for a grain free apple pie I’ve had my eye on, seeing as this is the perfect time of the year to be using apples.
Aside from peeling, coring, and slicing the apples, which was quite the work out, this pie came together pretty easily. The crust is wonderful in taste but as you can see in the pictures, it was a bit crumbly and did not hold up quiet as well as a traditional crust. The almond meal and coconut flour replaces any refined white flour to help boost the nutrition value as well as make it a perfect fit for those avoiding grains and gluten in their diet.
And what goes with warm crumbly apple pie better than vanilla ice cream? Salted Caramel Ice Cream! Get the recipe here.
Seriously, this ice cream is amazing! Very rich, but oh-so-good! There are definitely times when I’m not sure how Josh feels about some of the things I make, but this was not one of them. He was very vocal with his opinion of both sweets and I’m happy to say that opinion was a very positive one!
The ice cream is not quite as clean as some of the other dessert recipes on here, but it is made using whole, pure ingredients. Making this ice cream at home, with simple ingredients, helps eliminate so many of the additives, preservatives and chemicals that are often in the store-bought options.
As I mentioned above, this dessert was and is definitely a splurge. When it comes to these special events and celebrations, we choose to treat ourselves, calories are not something to be concerned with (at least in my opinion), so you’ll notice there is not nutrition info listed below.
Let me know if you give either of these a try, I’d love to hear your feedback!
Grain Free Apple Crumble Pie
Ingredients
- For the Crust:
- 2 cups almond flour
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon unflavored grass-fed gelatin
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into tablespoons
- For the Apple Filling:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 4 medium Honey Crisp apples peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup light coconut milk
- For the Topping:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour
- 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 ºF and make sure rack is in middle position.
- For the crust, place the first five ingredients (almond flour - coconut sugar) in a food process and pulse 2-3 times until well combined. Then add in the egg yolk and butter and pulse an additional 8-10 times, quick pulses each time, then turn food processor on and let run until mixture begins to form dough.
- Flatten dough into round circle on plastic wrap, add another layer of plastic and put in refrigerator for approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Remove dough from refrigerator, discard plastic and paper, then add to buttered 9" pie plate and press the dough evenly along bottoms and side. Shape edges as desired. Put back in refrigerator for additional 20 minutes.
- (Tip from Carrie's recipe: Place a piece of parchment on the bottom of the pie crust and cover with pie weights or oven safe glass dish.")
- Bake for 12 minutes with the pie weights, then remove both weights and wax paper and bake an additional 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to lightly brown.
- While the crust is refrigerating, melt the butter on the stove top in a large pot over medium heat. Add apples, coconut sugar, cinnamon and sea salt.
- Cook apples, stirring every now and then, for 5 minutes or until the apples begin to release their juices. Next, pour coconut milk over apple mixture and continue to cook, continuously stirring, until apples are soft and liquid has thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Once apples are cooking, begin preparing the topping. Add almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot, gelatin and coconut sugar to the food processor and pulse 2-3 times. Add in butter and pulse 8-10 times, quick pulses, just like before. Then let the food processor run until the mixture creates a crumbly dough.
- Prepare baking sheet with wax paper and spread crumbly dough out in even layer, bake for 10 minutes. Remove the baked crumbs from the baking sheet, add the pie crust (in pie plate) to the baking sheet (no wax paper), then add the cooked apple filling to the baked crust and top with hot crumbs. Tip: Add foil or pie shield over the pie edges to avoid burning them!
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until topping begins to turn golden brown, remove from oven, cool 20-30 minutes, then serve (preferably with salted caramel ice cream!)
I made very few changes to this recipe, Carry Vitt from Deliciously Organic is it’s original author, she has a beautiful blog!
