Healthy Apple Crumble

Apple crumble – and the smell of it cooking – is one of the most wonderful things about autumn/winter. This healthy version uses dessert apples rather than tart cooking apples, meaning no sugar is needed for the filling to taste sweet.

Serves 4

For the topping

75g oats

30g wholewheat flour, gluten free flour, or millet flour (do not use coconut flour)

25g chopped pecans

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

25g unsalted butter, melted

For the filling

750g chopped red apple*

2 tbsp cornflour

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

⅛ tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 180˚C, and grease an 8”square pan.

To make the topping, combine the oats, pecans, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the maple syrup and melted butter. Stir until fully incorporated.

For the filling, mix the apples with the cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl until completely coated. Transfer the filling to the prepared pan, and gently press down with a spatula. Sprinkle evenly with the topping. (The topping tends to clump, so try to break it up into fairly small pieces.)

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the apple pieces are tender. The juices will start to thicken as the crumble cools.

* Fuji’s are ideal but Gala and Braeburn apples would work as well.