Gluten-free Apple Crisp

Gluten-free Apple Crisp
gluten-free | tree nut free | egg free | refined sugar free
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | Oct. 8, 2020
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Every bite of this gluten-free apple crisp is bursting with cinnamon sugar flavor, soft caramelized apples, and perfectly crunchy crumble topping! I love the way the apples caramelized with the coconut sugar and the crumble topping is spot on. The star of this crisp is definitely the apples, and when topped with a dollop of dairy-free whipped cream, I can’t think of too many things that are much tastier! Plus, this apple crisp is allergy friendly and super easy to make!

Pioneer Recipe

Surprisingly, apples were actually a staple food in the Old West. The cowboys enjoyed them on cattle drives, the pioneers baked with them on the wagon trains, and the early settlers made baked goods with them for special occasions. Apples truly seem to be an American food! That being said, most of the time the cowboys, pioneers, and settlers had to use dried apples not fresh apples. While apples are quite easy to store, whole apples are not exactly the easiest thing to pack in your saddlebag or store in your covered wagon.

Apples were used in many baked goods, including pies, baked apple pudding, and fried apples. Surprisingly, apple crisp was not a common apple baked good back in the pioneer days! Apple crisp is actually more of a modern American recipe with the earliest records being in a cookbook printed in 1924.

However, we can still call this a modern pioneer recipe because it uses a traditional American West ingredient (apples) and it is allergy friendly! This apple crisp recipes is…

• gluten-free
• nut free
• egg free
• corn free
• anti-inflammatory
• uses a healthy sugar

I enjoy baking with fresh apples and fall always makes me want to try new apple recipes and resurrect favorite apple recipes. This apple crisp recipe is a fall favorite of mine!

Choosing Apples

When it comes to apple season, it seems like there are endless options of apple varieties to choose from! For anyone who is experienced with baking with apples, I’m sure you all have your favorite varieties and the ones you prefer for certain dishes. That being said, I know I still get confused sometimes when I look at all those fall apple names!

Which ones are best for pie? Applesauce? Crisp? I think I literally need an apple chart to bring with me shopping when I go to the farm market to pick out apples! That being said, I did a little research and found this helpful apple chart.

The chart divides apples into categories, sweet and tart. Then it lists a couple of varieties of apples in each category and indicates whether the apple is good for cooking, baking, or eating. Here’s a brief summary:

Sweet Apples

• cooking: fuji, gala, cameo, golden delicious
• baking: fuji, sonya, jona gold, cameo, golden delicious
• eating: all the varieties listed above!

Tart Apples

• cooking: honeycrisp, rome, braeburn, pink lady, granny smith
• baking: red delicious, honeycrisp, rome, pink lady, granny smith
• eating: red delicious, honeycrisp, braeburn, pink lady, granny smith

Of the apples listed, I didn’t see the apple variety that I actually used in this crisp recipe. Paula red apples were the first apples I bought from my local farm market. I had never worked with paula reds before but they have quickly become one of my favorite baking and cooking apples!

Paula reds resemble a McIntosh and they are an early season apple, meaning they are usually one of the first fall apples available. They bake down very quickly and are super nice for putting in baked goods or cooking with.

So for me, fuji and honeycrisp apples are my favorite eating apples and the Paula Reds are my new favorite cooking and baking apples!

Using Apples

Apples are such a versatile fruit and there are so many yummy things you can make with them! From eating plain, to cooking, to baking, to dehydrating and so much more. Here are a couple ideas that I came up with to make the most of this delicious fruit while it is in season!

Cooking & Baking

• Gluten-free apple pie
• Grain-free apple hand pies
• Baked apple pudding
• Apple sweet rolls
• Fried apples with bacon
• Applesauce

Eating Fresh

• apple slices with peanut butter
• sprinkle some cinnamon sugar over apple slices
• dip apple slices in homemade caramel sauce
• make apple slice sandwiches with peanut butter, raisins, and other goodies

Sharing with the Homestead Livestock

• chickens love apples and apples make for a great healthy boredom buster
• make apple horse treats
• goats will happily take care of any extra apple peels you have!
• rabbits can have small nibbles of apple, but not too much since apples are high in natural sugar
• dogs enjoy apples as treats, just make sure you remove the apple seeds
• and of course, pigs will eat anything so they would enjoy apple scraps as well!

Preserving

• make the apples into applesauce and can the applesauce
• make apple pie filling and can the filling
• peel and slice up the apples and freeze them for baking with
• save the apple peels and cores to make apple cider vinegar with
• dehydrate apple slices
• store whole apples in a cool dry place and remove any bruised or rotten apples that could spoil all the apples

Apple Crisp Recipe Tips

This apple crisp recipe is very simple! I don’t think you’ll have any problems making it, but here are a few tips to ensure your apple crisp turns out just as good as mine did!

• Apples that bake down quickly are the best kind to use for this crisp.
• When using ramekins, pile the apple mixture and crumble topping as high as you can since the apples will cook down quite a bit.
• Make sure you thoroughly coat the sides of the ramekins or dish that you are using with coconut oil to make clean-up easier!
• You can use any granulated sugar in this recipe, coconut sugar just creates a nice caramelized apple mixture.
• Arrowroot flour can be substituted for the tapioca flour in both the apple mixture and the crumble mixture.
• For the butter in the crumble, you could try using a dairy-free substitute like almond butter or coconut butter, just make sure it is chilled and firm so that crumble can form in the food processor.

Apple Crisp Baking Methods

This apple crisp recipe is so versatile, you can choose whichever method you prefer for baking this crisp, or try them all! Here are some tips for whichever method you choose:

Ramekins: Dice up the apples into small chunks to fit them in the ramekins with the crumb topping. Make sure you pile the crumble topping on high since the apples with cook down. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet to bake in case any filling spills over.

8×8″ Glass Baking Dish: The apples can be sliced thinly or cubed and the crumble topping evenly distributed over the apples. Bake time will be the same as the ramekins.

Cast Iron Skillet: Use a 10″ or 12″ cast iron skillet depending on how thick you want your apple crisp. The apples can be sliced or cubed and the crumble topping piled on. Bake time may be slightly less since cast iron bakes things slightly quicker. Make sure you rub coconut oil in the skillet before putting the apples in it to prevent sticking!

Dutch Oven: Use a 10″ or 12″ Dutch oven. The apples should be thinly sliced so that they cook quickly. Paula Reds or other soft varieties of apples work best for cooking apple crisp in the Dutch oven since they cook down quickly. Bake time should be for at least 30 minutes or until the apples are soft, bubbling, and the crumb topping is browned.

This gluten-free apple crisp combines the delicious soft texture of baked apples with the perfect soft crunchiness of an oatmeal crumble topping to present you with a fall experience you will never forget! I love making this apple crisp every fall and it is a family favorite in my house!

Where to Find the Ingredients

• Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free rolled oats
• Simply Organic ground cinnamon
• Navitas coconut sugar
• Supplies: 4 oz. small ramekins, 8×8″ glass baking dish, Cuisinart food processor

Gluten-free apple crisp is the perfect American pioneer recipe that is allergy friendly and super easy to make! I love the sweet, soft flavor of the apples mixed with a cinnamon sugar flavor and topped with a delicious oat crumble. Add a dollop of dairy-free whipped cream to the dish and it turns a healthy apple snack into something more like a dessert! The caramelized apples and coconut sugar are amazing in this crisp!

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