Whether you’re gluten-sensitive, gluten-intolerant or just looking to decrease the amount of gluten you eat, Sweet Cravings: 50 Seductive Desserts for a Gluten-Free Lifestyle (Ten Speed Press, 2013) is your answer. Kyra Bussanich puts a delicious spin on gluten-free baking. The following apple crisp recipe will allow you to serve tasty desserts without anyone ever knowing it’s gluten-free.
Purchase this book from the Mother Earth Living store: Sweet Cravings.
When we were first on our own, my friend Kim and I often went back and forth to each other’s apartment for dinner. She would always make the most delicious apple crisp for dessert. This is a gluten-free variation on her recipe. Feel free to assemble the apple filling up to 2 days in advance and keep it chilled until you’re ready to bake it. Don’t make the topping ahead of time, though, unless you plan to freeze the whole thing unbaked; the millet flour and butter combination start tasting faintly Parmesany if combined but left unfrozen for more than 2 hours.
Gluten-Free Apple Crisp Recipe
• 6 large tart apples (Pippin or Granny Smith)
• 1/3 cup sugar, or 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• Generous pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons cold butter
Topping:
• 1/2 cup sweet white rice flour
• 1/2 cup millet flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch
• 1 cup packed golden brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup gluten-free oats
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/4-inch slices. Put the apple slices into a large bowl and sprinkle the sugar over the top. Add the tapioca starch, cinnamon, five-spice, ginger, and salt and toss together to evenly coat the apple slices. Pour into a 9 by 13 inch baking pan, dot the top with pieces of the butter and set aside.
3. To make the topping, combine the flours, tapioca starch, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, five-spice, and ginger in a mixing bowl. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix in the butter until it is uniformly incorporated into the flour mixture. Stir in the oats and pecans.
4. Crumble the oat topping evenly over the apples. Bake until the topping is golden brown and set and the apples are warm and bubbly, 55 to 60 minutes.
5. You can prepare everything ahead of time. Refrigerate the apple filling and keep the topping frozen until ready to assemble and bake. Don’t refrigerate the unbaked topping overnight, as the millet flour will interact with the butter and taste and smell cheesy when it’s baked. Serves 8.
More recipes from Sweet Cravings:
• Cannolizelli Recipe
• Classic Cream Puff Recipe
Reprinted with permission from Sweet Cravings: 50 Seductive Desserts for a Gluten-Free Lifestyle by Kyra Bussanich (Ten Speed Press, © 2013). Photo Credit: Leela Cyd. Purchase this book from our store: Sweet Cravings.
