This apple-blueberry almond crisp is a delicious combination of my favorite fruits, nuts and spices. It's gently sweetened with maple syrup so that the tartness of the fruit shines through. Pretty enough to take to a potluck and simple enough to make for yourself.
A tart, firm yet flavorful apple like Braeburn or Jonathan will balance the sweetness of the blueberries.
A crumble or crisp is a simple way to get the look and flavor of a pie while not having to roll out a crust. You avoid gluten as well as high-glycemic-index flours by using nuts, spices, and a little oil. As the crisp bakes, the topping becomes crunchy and the fruits soften and take on the spicy flavors.
Great for breakfast, too.
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After you chop the apples and stir in the blueberries, you add some lemon juice with the spices. One reason is to give a little extra tartness to the crisp (unless you have very sour apples).
The other is to prevent the apples from browning while you work on the topping. If you are allergic to lemons, you can use Vitamin C crystals to do the same thing.
What are the pros and cons of MCT oil?
If you want an oil that has a neutral flavor but don’t want to go to the bother of melting such a small amount of coconut oil, consider using MCT oil. MCT stands for the medium chain triglycerides derived from coconut oil. It’s liquid at room temperature. It’s also fantastic for coating the pan. Read more about it.
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This blueberry-apple crisp is best as soon as it’s cooled off enough to eat after baking. Over time the crisp will soak up moisture from the fruit and the nuts will get a little soggy.
Also, the longer it sits, the more the blue color of the blueberries will seep into the apples. Probably it won’t be around that long, though!
I shared this recipe with 6 other wonderful Thanksgiving sides on my fellow blogger's website, Meals and Mile Markers. Here is the link!
If you have a chance to make this recipe, please let me know in the comments how it went!
Beth
Other breakfast or dessert recipes you may enjoy
Moringa Fruit-Nut-Ola Grain-Free
Peach Oatmeal Breakfast Clafoutis
Mouthwatering Peach-Plum Cobbler with Almond-Oat Crust, GF, V
Kitchen items used in this recipe
This HIC baking dish is lightweight and just the right size to fit all the ingredients for this dish. It makes a pretty serving item. And I used it for my flourless baked oatmeal.
I use blanched almond flour for most of my baking, like this Kirkland product, but this recipe works equally well with unblanched almond flour.
This is the MCT oil I use.
HIC Kitchen Round Quiche Di...Shop on Amazon
Kirkland Signature Almond F...Shop on Amazon
NOW Foods, Almond Flour wit...Shop on Amazon
Nature's Way Organic MCT Oi...Shop on Amazon
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Enjoy,
Beth
Apple Blueberry Crisp - Paleo and Gluten-Free
Ingredients
Filling:
- 4 cups finely chopped apples
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon MCT oil
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon see note
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Crisp Topping:
- 1 cup almond flour unblanched or blanched
- ½ cup chopped almonds
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon MCT oil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2-3 tablespoons sliced almonds for topping designs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Oil a pie dish (or any similar size pan) and set aside.
- Mix all filling ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Transfer to the pie dish and pat down evenly. If the filling seems to take up more room than you expected, just know that it will cook down a bit during baking.
- Mix all topping ingredients (except slivered almonds reserved for garnish, if using) in a separate small mixing bowl until coarse crumbs form.
- Sprinkle this mixture over the fruit in the pie dish.
- Garnish with slivered almonds if desired.
- Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, until the topping turns golden brown (at high altitude, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes).
- Remove from oven and serve as soon as it’s cool enough to eat. Delicious with yogurt - we like CoYo, KiteHill and other non-dairy brands.
Notes
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Jocelyn
My husband prefers fruit desserts to chocolate ones and he loved this recipe. I liked it because I felt like I could eat a dessert guilt free! It does taste good.
Beth
Great to hear you enjoyed the recipe. I agree it's pretty guilt-free! Thanks for the comment.
Erika
What a beautiful crisp. I can see a scoop of ice cream on top being delicious too. 🙂
Beth
Oh, yes, it just calls out for ice cream or a really good yogurt. Mmm. Thanks so much!
Morgan
This looks so delicious! I love that it's gluten free and dairy free too. I will be trying this recipe out for sure!
Beth
Thank you! It's really one of the simplest desserts there is, and so customizable. Enjoy!
Colleen
Oh yum! I am feeling crisps and cobblers right now. It looks fantastic .
Beth
Thank you! I agree with you completely, now that spring fruits are coming into season. I'll look forward to hearing if you make it!
Angela Greven | Mean Green Chef
Divine looking Crisp, I love the flavor combo of apples, blueberries, and almonds! Love the tip on using citric acid in place of lemons if there are any allergies. Thank you 🙂
Beth
Thank you so much for those comments. It's one of those recipes that's prettier than the effort it takes to make it! And almonds develop such a nice crunch when baked as part of a top crust.
Kim
I love that you dont have to roll out the crust. Just sprinkle it on top! This looks delicious!
Beth
Kim, you now know how I think, too. And that way you can customize it with whatever nuts or seeds you like!
Nisha
Wonderful delicious crisp, I can almost imagine all the flavors combined in my mouth .Nice to know about the MCT oil as well. As you say , pretty sure it will get over in no time and so wont get a chance to get soggy 🙂 Lovely share!
Beth
Thanks, Nisha, it's just about time that I can buy my favorite apples for this crisp, I can hardly wait.
Connie
This looks delicious! I'm serving it for dessert at my dinner party. My question is:
can I make it up early in the day and bake it while we are having dinner?
Beth
Hi, Connie, I have never tried making it up early and baking it later, so I would love it if you made it that way, and what you thought. Thanks!