Gluten-free Apple Crisp

No this is not too good to be true.  Yes it is tasty.  And yes it is 100% gluten free and lightened up. What am I talking about?  Today's gluten free apple crisp recipe of course!

So let me take you through this spectacular recipe.  Unlike most apple crisps, this one that I'm sharing with you today is is tasty AND gluten free AND lightened up.

First off ,this apple crisp is tasty.  REALLY tasty.  Why?  Well, let's start with the filling.  A mix of tart and sweet and apples mingle together to create a perfect marriage of sweet and sour.  Then, the apples get bathed in a maple-infused mixture with a hefty dose of cinnamon.  Not with maple extract, maple SYRUP.   REAL maple syrup.  PURE maple syrup.  Yep.  Chewy oats and crunchy almond meal mixed with even more cinnamon form a hearty topping that perfectly complements the flavor and texture of the apples.

Oh and by the way, this apple crisp is TOTALLY gluten free.  The only starchy components of it are cornstarch, certified gluten-free oats, and almond meal (super finely ground raw almonds).  That's it.  No gimmicks.  No crazy subs for flour.  Just oats and almonds.

AND this recipe is lightened up.  By cutting down the sugar and and butter, I cut out unneeded sugar and fat, therefore cutting out a few calories in the process.

As you can see this dessert has the whole enchilada, (or should I say the whole apple crisp 😉?)

I adapted this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction.  My recipe looks super different than hers, but that's because I doubled it to serve more people.  Here's the link .

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

• 8 large apples (preferably 2 sweet and 6 tart)  cored, peeled, and chopped
• 4 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 Tbs. cornstarch 
• 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 cups certified gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted    
• 1.       Preheat oven to 350 F degrees
  2.      In a large bowl, toss together the apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cornstarch, 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon, making sure that the apples are evenly coated.
  3.      Spoon the filling mixture into a 9 x 13 glass baking pan.  Set aside.
  4.      For the topping, whisk the brown sugar, oats, and almond meal together, making sure there aren’t any huge chunks of brown sugar.
  5.      Whisk in the cinnamon and salt.
  6.      Once all combined, stir in the melted butter until combined.
  7.      Sprinkle the topping over the apple mixture in the pan.
  8.      Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the filling is bubbly, the apples are soft but not mushy, and the topping is browned.  Feel free to cover the top of the pan loosely with foil if it looks like the top is browning too quickly.
  9.      Cover left-overs and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.