Apple & Blueberry Crisp (Gluten-free + Vegan)

Happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely mothers out there! (This post was scheduled for yesterday, but just realized that I might have scheduled it on the wrong date)


The second Sunday of May is always a day in many parts of the world where mothers are showered with attention, and given the extra special treatment. In my opinion, all the moms out there deserve all the queen-like treatment on this day (and every other day)! Moms today probably has the toughest job in the world; they take on various roles in life – nurse, teacher, counselor, cheerleader, cook, house-keeper, nurturer, provider, and a best friend. They provide us love, support, wise words, strength, motivation, and give us confidence.

So to show my gratitude to my mom for raising me, and always being there for me, I decided to make her some Apple and Blueberry Crisp this year – two of my mom’s favorite fruits. Just like most women, my mom has a weakness for sweet treats; yet she doesn’t like desserts which are excessively sweet.   This delightful dessert was perfect for my health-conscious mom because the sweetness of the fruits really come through, and the ingredients used are relatively kind on the waistline. My mom absolutely enjoyed it, and even had a second helping (which is pretty rare).

The theme for this fortnight’s cookbook challenge happens to be ‘Crunchy’, so I thought this dessert fit the theme to a T. Crunchy foods are always fun to eat, but sometimes, crunchy foods can end up feeling too dry. However, when crunchy food – like this crisp topping- is accompanied by cooked fruits, the sweet juices from the fruits help to subdue the dryness of the crisp topping, making it a real winner.

Since it is Mother's Day, I thought I should leave you with a touching video (it is in Mandarin, with English subtitles) that someone shared with me recently. This was a good reminder for me to not take my mom (or even my dad) for granted. Prepare some tissue!

Apple & Blueberry Crisp
Adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking
Serves 6-8

Ingredients 
For the topping:
6 to 8 cups (900 to 1200g) cored and chopped apples
1/2 cup blueberries (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional – I skipped this)
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice

For the filling:
1 cup rolled oats (or GF oats)*
3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup of oat flour (or grind rolled oats in the food processor)
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4tsp salt
1/2 tsp anise seeds (optional – I skipped this)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 8- or 9-inch baking pan at least 2 inches deep.
2. To make filling, in a medium sized bowl, combine apples, blueberries, raisins, lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, and allspice, and pour into baking pan.
3. To make the topping, in another bowl, combine the rolled oats, walnuts, flour, oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and anise seeds. The topping should be crumbly and chunky, and have the texture of wet sand. If the topping is too dry, add a few teaspoons of water.
4. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit mixture, making sure it is evenly distributed. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the pears and apples are soft when pierced with a fork. 
5. Remove from the oven and serve warm, or at room temperature. It’s great with ice cream too! Enjoy!

Cook's Note 

*Gluten-free: Use gluten-free oats and oat flour. You can also get oat flour by grinding the gluten-free oats in the food processor.

Do check out my fellow Cookbook Challengers' entries here.