Since we are officially in fall (although you wouldn’t know it here in the Bay Area with this brutal heat wave we are experiencing right now) it is time to start eating apples! I love apple desserts but sometimes I feel like they are a little one color, especially apple pies and crisps. Berries are still floating around the market and I thought apples and blackberries could be the perfect combo – a little tartness from the blackberries to balance the sweetness from the apples, not to mention the gorgeous red color that the crisp turns when baked. Top the apple-blackberry mixture with a crisp topping that is made with oat flour, toasted hazelnuts and butter and a delicious and gorgeous apple dessert it born.
There are a couple reasons this recipe is one of my favorites. I love recipes that work better gluten-free. I find that by using different types of flours that are naturally gluten-free you can actually make recipes taste better. This crisp is the perfect example. I swapped out regular all-purpose flour for gluten-free oat flour – I like even better. The oat flour adds a hint of nuttiness to this crisp that makes me forget the need for regular all-purpose flour. I’m not saying it is healthy, I wish it was because I am pretty sure I could eat the entire crisp myself, but I am saying it is one delicious gluten-free dessert.
I also love this recipe because it makes a lot of crisp topping – in my opinion that is the best part of a crisp. Apples and blackberries are great and all, but give me that crispy buttery hazelnut goodness any day of the year. Am I right? If you like a crisp that has a lighter amount of crisp topping, just halve the crisp recipe or save it in your freezer in an airtight container until you bake your next crisp.
Lastly, I love this recipe because you do not need any special equipment to make the crisp other than two bowls, an oven and your hands, which makes clean up the easiest darn thing ever.
Enjoy! ~ Amanda
Apple & Blackberry Crisp
Ingredients
3 lbs apples peeled and cut into 1” cubes
1 pint blackberries
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp. lemon zest
juice of 1 lemon
½ cup brown sugar
3 Tbs. corn starch
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
Topping
1 cup oat flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ sticks butter
½ cup oats (make sure they are gluten–free if you want this to be a gluten-free recipe) ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
pinch of salt
Directions
1.) Pre-heat an oven to 350F. Butter a large baking dish (approximately 8 x 8 ).
2.) In a large bowl, combine the apples, blackberries, orange zest, lemon zest, lemon juice, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir well to combine. Pour into prepared baking dish.
3.) In another bowl combine the oat flour, brown sugar, butter, oats, hazelnuts and large pinch of salt. Using your hands mix well making sure the butter is incorporated.
4.) Spread the topping over the apple and blackberry mixture and bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until the apples are tender and the fruit juices in the crisp are bubbling around the edges. Cover with foil if the crisp topping becomes too dark.
5.) Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm with a large scoop of ice cream or crème fraiche.
Recipe & Photos by Amanda Frederickson for Sacramento Street