When fall hits, my kitchen is overwhelmed with delicious apples. After eating my fair share raw, I inevitably turn to making an apple crisp. The smell of apples and cinnamon fills my apartment and suddenly makes a cool fall day seem warm and comforting. This time, I added crystallized ginger and almonds to my crisp topping (I was testing recipes – a ginger and champagne punch, to be exact – and was left with massive amounts of crystallized ginger that I have been looking for ways to use), which both pair beautifully with apples.
This crisp can be made gluten-free by using certified gluten-free oats and gluten-free flour, or making your own oat flour. I used oat flour, which can be made in seconds in a mini food processor. Just pulse until the oats resemble the texture of flour.
Apple Crisp with Crystallized Ginger & Almond Topping
1 cup raw old fashioned oats, roughly chopped
1 cup all purpose, gluten-free or oat flour
1 cup natural cane sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
¾ cup raw slivered almonds, chopped finely
¼ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. kosher salt
6 Tbs. cold, unsalted butter, cut into ½” pieces
8 large apples
1 Tbs. cane sugar (reserve to toss with sliced applies)
1. Mix dry ingredients (oats through salt), and stir with a whisk break up any lumps.
2. Peel apples, core and slice into thin slices. Toss sliced apples with 1 Tbs. sugar. Spray baking dish with cooking spray or coat with butter and place sliced apples in dish.
3. Add butter to oat mixture and blend by using your fingers to combine and crumble, until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Take a small handful of topping and squeeze it into a compact chunk and crumble it over apples. Continue with remaining topping and crumble evenly over the filling until all of the crumble is used up.
4. Bake in upper third of oven for about 40-45 minutes, or until the apple filling is soft when pierced with a fork and the topping is golden. Serve immediately or at room temperature, topped with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Serves 8 people
Tips:
• To prevent the apples from browning, mix dry ingredients before peeling apples.
• Use a mini food processor to make quick work of chopping the dry ingredients.
• Reduce the sugar if you prefer desserts that are less sweet.
