Susan’s Healthy-Ish Apple Crisp Makeover Recipe
There is nothing that says Fall like apples. And there is nothing that I love to eat more than my mom’s homeade apple crisp. It is easy to prepare, delicious, and a crowd pleaser. I’ve made her recipe for years, but when I recently looked at the recipe again to make it, I realized why it is so good and crack-like addictive-It is LOADED with sugar, white flour and butter. YIKES!
I’m not about to give up apple crisp, so I decided to do a recipe makeover. I experimented with different ingredients and finally created a healthy-ish version that I love. Not only did I remove all the “bad” indgredients, I replaced them with other nutrient dense “real and whole" foods that have true health beneifts. And the recipe is still super easy and tasty. Step-by step notes and the recipe are below. I made it for my family and friends and everyone gave it the thumbs up. It is not as sweet, but my husband says he prefers it because you can actaully taste the real fruit flavor. It tastes even better with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Go with the crispiest
Granny Smith apples are my favorite choice for apple crisp. You can’t go wrong as long as you choose a crisp, tart variety. Honeycrisp and Golden Delicious are two other good options.
To peel or not to peel
You can peel the apples if you want, but it is not necessary.Ileave the peels on most of the time. Mostly becuase I am lazy and it’s faster, but there are also many health benefits to eating the peel. By keeping the peel on, you are getting about one/third of the apples’ fiber, all of its folate, and most of its vitamin E and vitamin K. To avoid pesiticides it is best to buy organic. If not,washing can decrase the amount of pesticide,but not neccesarily eliminate it all.
Cut the apples into small, similar size pieces so they cook evenly. It doesn’t have to be perfect because it all blends together when it’s cooked.
Sweeten it up
You can sprinkle as much cinnamon as you want to coat the apples. Besides offering a sweet taste, cinnamon is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron and calcium. It also helps to lower cholesterol, regulate blood sugar and boosts cognitive function.
To coat the pan use plain coconut oil or a coconut oil non-stick cooking spray. I love the Spectrum brand but there are many options.
Healthy Substitutes
100% Whole Grains are packed with nutrients including protein, fiber and antioxidants. A diet rich in whole grains can help reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Almond Flour is made from blanched almonds that are ground and sifted into a fine flour. I use Bob’s Red Mill brand. Almond flour is incredibly healthy. It is rich in vitamin E (anti-oxidant) and magnesium (blood sugar control, reduces insulin resistance and lowers blood pressure and bad cholestrol). It is also wheat free and gluten free.
Coconut oil is made up of a unique combination of fatty acids and is classified as a “superfood”. I could write a whole blog on the health benefits, but some of the most impactful are weight reduction, brain function, decrease heart disease. I use coconut oil to replace butter in this recipe. It also adds a sweet flavor. People use it for all sorts of things.
Coconut oil is sold in most health food stores, but in order to get the health benefits make sure to buy organic, virgin coconut oil-not the refined kind.
Maple sugar is a natural sweetener and it is about twice as sweet as standard granulated sugar. It adds a pleasant flavor to foods and is great for baking. It is much less refined, and nutrient-rich and creates lower fluctuations in blood sugar levels. But it should still be used in moderation. Be sure to buy 100% pure maple syrup and not maple-flavored corn syrup
To top it off
This is the mixture of oats, almond flour, maple syrup and coconut oil. Nuts are optional.
Apples with topping
Tastes better than it looks
So yummy. Especially served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. I won’t lie and say it is as good as the original, but it does not disappoint. Although it is healhy-ish, it is stil high in calories, so enjoy in moderation.
