Vegan and Gluten-free apple crumble

It seems that it's time to say goodbye to summer and welcome autumn. Lately, making warm food in the evenings is everything I wish to do with my time. Homemade pasta, bread, chili, cinnamon rolls... I grab a good book, my blanket, some tea and that's it, I call it a day!

Truly, this crumble embodies that fall vibe we all want: it's warm, it's cosy, it's sweet and, oh my, it smells like heaven!

I wish I could package the smell and sell it! It's surreal! Just try to imagine the following: cinnamon, apples, and a tiny bit of infused ginger and nutmeg, making such an inviting scent, that neighbours will wonder if you have a pastry shop - no kidding, an actual neighbour asked me.

There's something beautiful about crunchy oats and almonds with soft apples. It's an amazing combination!

My recipe doesn't use any cane sugar, but only natural sweets from fresh dates! I didn't think the apple filling needed sugar - the apples are in season and this variety was particularly sweet. Also, the touch of cinnamon always adds a nice, sweet touch to desserts.

Vegan and Gluten-free apple crumble

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

Apple filling:

4 sweet apples (I used honey crisp, but any other similar variety, like Gala or Cortland, would work well too :) )

Juice of 1/2 lemon

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 tablespoon cornstarch

4 tablespoons coconut water

1/2 teaspoon grated ginger

Pinch of clove powder

Pinch of nutmeg, grated

Crumble topping:

1/2 cup organic gluten-free oats

1/2 cup rice flour

6-8 ripe fresh dates, unpitted. Alternatively, if your dates are dry or aren't as fresh, cover them in hot water for 1 hour (or in cold water overnight), and rinse. Then pure until it's all homogeneous.

1/4 cup almonds, chopped

Pinch of salt

1 + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 +1/2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200ºC. Grab a 20cm oven-safe dish and set it aside.

2. Wash and peel the apples, and remove the seeds. Chop the apples into bite-size pieces and place them in a bowl. To the bowl with the apples, add the lemon juice, cinnamon, cornstarch, coconut water, grated ginger, clove, and nutmeg. Stir to coat all the bits and pieces of apple well. Pour the apple filling in the oven-safe dish you prepared earlier.

3. For the topping: grab a bowl and mix together: the oats, rice flour, almonds, salt, cinnamon powder, coconut oil and dates. Mix and combine everything together using your hands, making sure all the bits from the dates and the coconut oil are thoroughly mixed with the oats and almonds.

4. Add the crumble topping above the apples, trying to break all the chunky pieces of crumble, so it's all "evenly" distributed - but it's fine if there are bits here and there :)

5. Bake for 1 hour, and cover with aluminium foil after 20 minutes, or if the crumble topping has browned too much.

6. Remove from the oven, and serve immediately. It's best enjoyed while it's warm and topped with a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt or vanilla ice-cream😛

Enjoy!