Not Your Grandma’s Apple Crumb Pie

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Forget your Grandma’s heavy, butter and sugar-laden pie, this vegan and gluten-free Apple Crumb Pie is made with wholesome ingredients that taste incredibly delicious!

Not Your Grandmother's Apple Pie- a vegan and gluten-free apple crumb pie that will make everyone forget about the butter and excess sugar! #thanksgiving

Apple pie reminds of my grandfather, who we lovingly refer to as Papa. It was his all-time favorite.

I can’t eat it without thinking of him and his homemade Italian bread. That was always his job for the holidays. He would serve it wrapped in soft white linen napkins that were placed inside of little wire baskets to distribute around the table. Ugh, there was nothing better than unwrapping that white linen to feel the warmth of a freshly baked loaf on my fingertips!

I miss him like crazy, especially when this time of year rolls around. It didn’t matter how cold it was outside, seeing his loving smile could warm me to the bone.

Not Your Grandmother's Apple Pie- a vegan and gluten-free apple crumb pie that will make everyone forget about the butter and excess sugar! #thanksgiving

My grandmother use to make him his favorite apple pie every year before she eventually grew tired of too many hours spent laboring in the kitchen. I was just a wee one the last time I had it but from what I can remember it was delicious.

But, as wonderful as grandmother’s pies are, we all know that they are usually made with a hefty amount of white flour, butter and sugar. I’m not necessarily opposed to these things around the holidays but I know that there are some people out there who can’t eat dairy, eggs or gluten, and to be honest, sometimes I like recipes made without all of that stuff better than the original version.

Not Your Grandmother's Apple Pie- a vegan and gluten-free apple crumb pie that will make everyone forget about the butter and excess sugar! #thanksgiving

So this is obviously not your grandma’s apple pie, unless your grandma is a vegan hippie! :)

It starts with a crust made from just 4 ingredients: almond flour, coconut oil, pure maple syrup, and a touch of sea salt.

Not Your Grandmother's Apple Pie- a vegan and gluten-free apple crumb pie that will make everyone forget about the butter and excess sugar! #thanksgiving

For the filling we heat maple syrup with a little organic brown sugar, vegan margarine, lemon juice, cinnamon, and ginger, in a small saucepan.

Then we stir in one tablespoon of cornstarch to make it thick like a gooey caramel sauce…oh yeah, baby.

Not Your Grandmother's Apple Pie- a vegan and gluten-free apple crumb pie that will make everyone forget about the butter and excess sugar! #thanksgiving

The crumb topping is very similar to the pecan crumble on the Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Casserole that I raved about yesterday.

It’s just a combination rolled oats, pecans, almond meal, coconut oil and pure maple syrup. Simply delicious!

Apple-Crumble-Pie-08_thumb.jpg

The end result is an apple pie that’s sweet enough to remind you that it’s dessert without being so sweet that you feel sick to your stomach after eating it.

It’s packed with the warming flavors of cinnamon and caramel with a crunchy crumble that pairs perfectly with vanilla bean ice cream. Or coconut whipped cream…whatever floats your boat. :)

Not Your Grandmother's Apple Pie- a vegan and gluten-free apple crumb pie that will make everyone forget about the butter and excess sugar! #thanksgiving

Not Your Grandmother's Apple Pie- a vegan and gluten-free apple crumb pie that will make everyone forget about the butter and excess sugar! #thanksgiving

Not Your Grandma's Apple Crumb Pie

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

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Ingredients:

For the Crust

  • 2 cups almond flour*
  • 4 tablespoons melted unrefined coconut oil (or vegan margarine)
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the Filling

  • 4 or 5 Granny Smith apples
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons vegan margarine
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • juice of 1 lemon

For the Crumble Topping

  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup oat flour**
  • 1/2 cup almond flour*
  • 1/2 cup pecans
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil (or vegan margarine)
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
  • pinch of fine sea salt

Directions:

Start by making the crumble topping. Add the oats, oat flour, almond meal, brown sugar, salt and pecans to a food processor. Pulse until the nuts and oats are roughly chopped. Transfer to a medium-size bowl and add the coconut oil and maple syrup. Stir together until everything is well-coated.

Next, preheat the oven to 350°F and then line the bottom of a pie dish with parchment paper.

Combine the ingredients for the crust in a large bowl and stir together until a dough forms. Pour it out into the middle of the pie dish then use the palm of your hand to press it down into the dish. Use your fingers to firmly press the crust outward and upward along the sides of the dish. The more firmly you press it down into the dish, the better it will hold together. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and bake the crust for 7 minutes in the oven then set aside to cool.

Meanwhile make the filling by peeling and coring the apples then thinly slice them lengthwise. Set aside in a large bowl.

Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, vegan margarine, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla extract, and water in a small sauce pan. Stir together and bring to a low boil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the cornstarch and lemon juice until smooth then remove from the heat and set aside.

Pour the mixture on top of the apples and use a spoon to stir together so that they are evenly coated. Pour them into the pie crust and arrange them so that they’re filling the crust with a somewhat even surface.

Using your fingers, crumble the topping on top of the apples until the surface of the pie is completely covered. Cover with a layer of parchment paper (or foil) and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for an addition 15 minutes, until light golden brown.  Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with vegan ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!

*you can make almond flour by grinding blanched almonds in a food processor to a fine crumb

**you can make oat flour by grinding rolled oat in a food process to a fine crumb

Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! heart

by Sarah on November 12, 2015  //  Dessert, Gluten-Free Desserts, Pie, Vegan Desserts
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