Healthy Apple Crisp

 

It's a cold winter day and you are craving some comfort food.  You prefer healthy over unhealthy and prefer something yummy that won't have your cholesterol or blood sugar soaring through the roof.  I know the perfect comfort food with just the right amount of yummy to have you happy and satiated!  Did you ever try apple crisp with a dallop of vanilla ice cream?  This has to be my all time favorite winter comfort food when I am craving something sweet!  It has the health benefits of apples, oats, pecans, maple syrup, blood sugar lowering cinnamon and nutmeg.  When people think of dessert, they think of sweet treats that have blood sugar soaring.  But treats can also be healthy if we make the right substitutions for sugar and fat.  Apple crisp does not have to be saturated in butter and sugar to have taste.  You can substitute natural sweeteners such as stevia, maple syrup and honey for sugar and coconut oil or vegan butter for regular butter.  I especially love eating this by a warm fire or after a light salad for dinner.  When you have a light dinner, you won't feel as guilty indulging in dessert!  So here goes for a delicious apple crisp...

Ingredients

Topping:

1/3 cup whole wheat four, gluten free oat flour or almond flour

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup dark brown sugar (can substitute coconut sugar)

1/2 cup raw chopped pecans

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup cold butter or vegan buttery stick cut into small cubes (can use coconut oil)

For the crisp:

5-6 medium Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1 tbs vanilla extract

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 8x8 baking pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

2.  Make the topping.  Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans into a bowl.  Mix until it resembles wet sand.  

3. Set the topping aside and begin to make the delicious apple filling.

4.  Filling: put apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract into a large bowl and stir to combine.  Put the filling in the 8x8 pan and sprinkle the topping over.  

5.  Bake the crips for 45-55 minutes or until tpping is golden brown and filling is bubbling.  Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.  Serve with warm vanilla ice cream and enjoy!