Apple Crumble
If you don’t have an oven in your kitchen, no worries—you can have your apple crumble and eat it, too! Options are given for a raw, oil-free crumble and a more traditional-style cooked crumble served with a filling that also has options to use water or oil. Making the recipe entirely whole food, plant-based (raw crumble and filling made with water and dates) or predominantly whole food, plant-based (cooked crumble and filling made with oil and maple syrup) will result in similar calorie and nutrient profiles.
Ingredients - Raw crumble topping (oil-free):
3⁄4 cup (95 g) walnuts
1⁄4 cup plus 2 tbsp (65 g) chopped dates
Pinch of salt, optional
Ingredients - Cooked crumble topping:
2 tbsp (30 ml) plant-based butter, coconut oil, or other oil
3 tbsp (45 ml) brown sugar or maple syrup
1⁄2 tsp (2.5 ml) vanilla
1⁄2 tsp (2.5 ml) cinnamon
Pinch of salt, if using oil or coconut oil (omit if using non-dairy butter because it’s salted)
3⁄4 cup (75 g) rolled oats (aka. old-fashioned)
1⁄4 cup (about 30 g) sliced or slivered almonds, chopped pecans, or chopped walnuts
Ingredients - Apple filling:
2 tbsp (30 ml) water, plant-based butter, coconut oil, or other oil
4 medium apples, chopped small to medium dice
1 1⁄2 tbsp (22.5 ml) date puree* or coconut sugar; or 1 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
1⁄2 tsp (2.5 ml) ground cinnamon
Directions for entirely whole food, plant-based:
- Raw crumble: pulse ingredients together in a food processor until coarsley ground. Don't process too finely, it's better to be a bit too coarse. Set aside.
- Apple filling: heat a nonstic skillet on the stove over medium heat, add chopped apples, date puree*, cinnamon, and water; stir to combine. Then, cover and cook, adding more water as needed to prevent burning or sticking, and stirring regularly about 5 minutes. Apples should be tender, but not mushy.
- To serve, divide apple mixture between 4 (or more) dishes and top with the raw cumble. Enjoy!
Directions for predominantly whole food, plant-based version:
- Cooked crumble topping: heat plant-based butter, coconut oil, or other oil in a skillet and then add sugar or maple syrup, stirring until dissolved and bubbling. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and salt (optional), followed quickly by oats and nuts. Cook while stirring until ingredients are toasted and fragrant, about 4-5 minutes. Beware, this burns easily! Transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and allow to cool. Crumble to desired size when cool.
- Apple filling: heat a skillet over medium heat, add water or oil of your choice, apples, sweetener of your choice, and cinnamon; stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring regularly, until apples are tender but not mushy—about 3-5 minutes. Add a tbsp of water if the mixture sticks before apples reach desired degree of doneness.
- To serve, divide apple mixture between 4 (or more) dishes and top with the cooked crumble topping. Enjoy!
Notes:
- *Date puree is made by processing pitted dates, adding just enough boiling water to allow mixture to become a smooth paste. You will need to make a larger batch than is needed for this recipe and freeze it. It is scoopable in frozen form due to the high sugar content, so there’s no need to thaw before using.
- Dessert is gluten-free if using gluten-free oats.
- Makes 4 standard-sized servings.
This recipe is from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Culinary Medicine Curriculum. It was designed by Michelle Hauser, MD, MS, MPA, FACP, FACLM, DipABLM, Chef.
