Month-of-Mini-Desserts: Gluten-Free Apple Crisp

Who doesn’t love apple pie, but we probably eat way too much of a good thing if a whole pie is staring us in the face just begging to be eaten!

One solution is to make pielets. 

Another solution is to make an apple filling with much less sugar and a crunchy topping with no bottom crust. These are both more healthful alternatives than eating one-sixth of a pie!

I love spicy dishes, so feel free to adjust the cinnamon and nutmeg for your taste. Or substitute ground cloves for the nutmeg. Play with spices to find the flavor combo your family will love.

I don’t know if I addressed this earlier, but one reason I put out an array to tiny desserts for people to choose among is that they appreciate my consideration for dietary restrictions by allowing small sweet bites. And for those without restrictions … they’ve been known to have three or four different desserts just for the novelty of it all. This picture shows a regular  ramekin next to the three-bite mini ramekins. I know the proportions are off. The minis are all the same size.

Gluten-Free Apple Crisp (4 mini-ramekins)

Filling:

½ apple, medium, diced

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons water

2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar mixture

Crisp Topping:

1 tablespoon oats

1 tablespoon oat flour (see NOTE 1 below)

2 tablespoons brown sugar (I use Splenda-Brown Sugar Blend)

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 tablespoon nuts, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 4 mini-ramekins with non-stick cooking spray and place on cookie sheet with sides.

Put apples in a small dish and toss with lemon juice, water, and cinnamon sugar.

Distribute apple slice among the four mini-ramekins.

Combine oats, oat flour, brown sugar, spices, and salt. Blend thoroughly. 

With a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Add nuts and stir again. 

Distribute topping across the four mini-ramekin, covering as much of the fruit as you can.

Bake for about 25 minutes until the top is lightly browned and the fruit is cooked. (Use a toothpick to check doneness.)

Serve warm or chilled.

Note 1: Make oat flour by putting a cup of old-fashioned oats into your food processor and pulverizing it. One tablespoon of oat flour = one tablespoon of wheat flour. Store the oat flour to use in crisp toppings or other recipes calling for flour that you want to make gluten-free. Store at room temp in a sealed container.

Note 2: Of course, you can use canned pie filling instead of fresh fruit. Bake until the top is browned, as the fruit is already cooked, about 20 minutes.

DH’s RATING: 5 Tongues Up

He loves my apple crisp (or pear or cherry or peach or … ). I originally created this gluten-free version because of a friend’s condition. Now it’s all I do!