I like Granny Smith apples in this recipe because they soften nicely but still retain their shape after baking. However, you can use other apples as well.
Apple Crisp
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients
- For the topping:
- 3 ounces pitted dates (about 6 Medjool or 12 Deglet Noor), chopped
- ¼ cup 100% apple juice plus 1 tablespoon
- 1¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- For the fruit:
- 1¾ pounds Granny Smith apples (4 to 5 medium), peeled and cored
- ½ cup raisins
- For the fruit sauce:
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1½ cups 100% apple juice
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- To start the topping, place the chopped dates and apple juice into a small bowl for at least 15 minutes (so the dates can soften). Place the rolled oats and cinnamon into a medium bowl and stir. Set aside.
- For the fruit, slice the apples into thin wedges about ⅛-inch thick, and then cut them in half cross-wise (so they are more bite-sized). Place the cut apples and raisins into a medium bowl, and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. To make the fruit sauce, place the oats into a blender, and grind them into flour. Add the apple juice, lemon juice, and cinnamon, and blend once more until smooth.
- Pour the fruit sauce into the bowl of apples and raisins, and stir (the sauce will be thin, but it will thicken during baking). Transfer this mixture to an 8×8-inch baking pan, spreading evenly (no parchment paper is needed).
- To finish the topping, transfer the soaked dates and apple juice to a blender, and blend until smooth. Pour this into the bowl of oats and cinnamon, and stir to coat.
- Spread the topping evenly over the top of the apples, and bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the topping is a deep medium brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
For a little variation, substitute one of the apples with a cup of blueberries, sliced strawberries, peaches, nectarines, or pears, or chopped pineapple.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ⅛ recipe Calories: 228 Fat: 2g Saturated fat: 0.3g Carbohydrates: 51.4g Sugar: 28.1g Sodium: 4mg Fiber: 6.7g Protein: 3.8g Cholesterol: 0
Above: Granny Smith apples
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Another home run!
Thanks Milton! 😉
I’m sorry … I’m new to this no SOS, plant based way of eating and i’m reading and researching all I can. But between the dates, and the almost 2 CUPS of apple juice and the raisins, doesn’t this apple crisp have a lot of sugar in it?
Thanks for your comment, Debi. It does have a good amount of sugar, like most desserts, but the sugars are unrefined/come from whole-food sources, which the body much prefers (the natural sugars are assimilated more gradually during digestion, and these sugars come packaged with health-promoting nutrients from the whole food they are bound to; overly processed/refined sugars are opposite in these ways). If you wanted to decrease the sugars in this recipe, you could use water instead of apple juice in the fruit sauce, leave the raisins out, and/or decrease the dates in the topping. However, to get that apple “crisp” topping, sugar is the key, and most recipes use a much more concentrated type, such as brown sugar or maple syrup, which I avoid in my recipes; and adding any water just makes the topping soggy or at least not crisp. So, feel free to modify as you like; it’s very easy to do. My thinking on desserts is (1) create them with a sweetness level (from whole foods) that most people would recognize as “in the ballpark” for a dessert like this (so people will actually eat them), and (2) save desserts for special occasions or once-in-a-while treats so we don’t go overboard on sugar on a regular basis. The “SOS-free” refers to salt, oil and sugar that are added as refined ingredients, as opposed to coming in the package of a whole food (apple, date, banana, walnuts, etc.). Hope that helps. 🙂
This is a great idea for dessert! Seems like a lot less work than an apple pie.
What is a good non stick pan.
I like Scanpan and Berndes; see the Store link to see my picks. 🙂
Another winner/keeper. Was even better the next day warmed slightly. Big hit with my friends who are looking for healthier ways to cook and eat.
Would applesauce work in place of the juice, do you think? I hate cleaning my juicer. 🙂
It needs to be a liquid, so I’d use water if you don’t have any kind of juice. 🙂
This is great I made it
Thank you for the comment Rochelle! 😉
This looks delicious! Do you have any suggestions for an alternative to the apple juice for people who want to avoid the use of fruit juice? Thanks!
You can just use water. 🙂
This recipe is so good and easy! Thank you!
Thanks Jeanne! 😉
Do you think I could use this recipe with peaches instead of apples?
Sure! 🙂 Maybe slice them a bit thicker since they won’t take as long to soften as apples.
I’m enjoying looking through the recipes on your blog. It’s frustrating when even the recipe sites and books that are for “Whole Food Plant Based” diets include the use of some lightly processed sugars and use lots of nut butters to replace oil. I love that this is nearly fat free (except the amounts in the oatmeal, etc.) and has no added sugars. I think I’ll make it without apple juice for dessert tonight as my kids are pretty good about eating my “less sweet” treats.
Thank you for this recipe! Even my picky son loved it, so I doubly thank you!
My husband is allergic to cats. What can I use to substitute for the oats?
Hmm, not sure, as oats are traditional for this type of recipe. I’d Google “apple crisp, no oats” to see if any ideas come up. Maybe quinoa flakes??
Try barley flakes.
So simple yet so delicious recipe. reminds me of my childhood.
This is a delicious fruit-sweetened dessert which passes very well for “the real thing.” I loved it. I added a dusting of ground nutmeg to the filling and a TBSP of ground walnuts to the topping. I was surprised that thinly sliced apple would soften so well with only 25 min. of baking.
I made this and it’s delicious! Totally my kind of thing. No oil no salt no added sugars but tons of flavor. Perfectly naturally sweet, and actually sweeter than you’d expect. I used fresh tart apples from the garden, and for the apple juice I substituted fresh juicy little plums from the garden. I broke the recipe up into prep day and cook day for the sake of ease. A winner!
Nice! 🙂 Thanks Kaya!