Healthier Apple Crisp

The other day I was looking for a healthier apple crisp recipe and only found ones that resembled apple pie. I didn’t look too hard, but was amazed at the amount of butter and sugar that was in the healthier ones.

So breaking out of the normal DIY/home posts here is an apple crisp that I’ve made a few times recently. This is my modified version of one from the New American Vegetarian Cookbook that my Mom gave me.

Here’s what I like about this recipe: 1. you can eat it for breakfast or dessert 2. it gets flavor from using flavorful ingredients such as spiced apple cider, tart apples, and citrus and not processed sugar 3. No added sugar, only fruit sugar (except in the dried cranberries, or you could use no added sugar ones)  4. is very versatile, you can substitute for what you have on hand and doesn’t require exact measuring (my kind of recipe!)  

Healthier Apple Crisp

spray an 8×8 pan with non stick spray and preheat oven to 375 degrees

5 Apples (I like Granny Smith or any other apple that is tart)
1 juice and zest of small lemon
1 juice and zest of small orange
4 Tablespoons flour
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
2 packets of Stevia (I like Truvia) 
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons honey or agave
1/2 cup flour (wheat or white)
1/2 cup oats (steel cut or rolled)
1/4 to 1/2 nuts (I used pecans and sunflower seeds)
1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup juice (apple cider or orange is good)

Peel and cut your apples into pieces or slices, zest and juice one small orange and lemon, add 4 tablespoons of flour and stir together (actually adding the zest after the flour is best so it gets evenly distributed, whoops again!)

Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, stir and add 2 packets of stevia (add half of the nuts here too 1/8 to 1/4 cup depending on preference)

Now for the topping, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add 2 tablespoons of honey or agave. Mix 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup oats, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, add the rest of the nuts here (1/8 to 1/4 cup depending on preference).

Spray an 8×8 pan with nonstick spray and add the apple mixture, then put the flour and oats mixture ontop

Pour 3/4 cup juice (I like apple cider) This helps keep it moist, so a must!

Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes

and enjoy with a scoop of ice cream or in a bowl with some milk! This could be prepped the night before and baked Thanksgiving morning!

Yum!