Maya's Infamous Apple Crisp (Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Peanut-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free)

I call this recipe 'infamous' with good reason. Sure it looks like a hot mess, but never judge a book by its cover! This is what the 13x 9 x 2 inch Pyrex looked like in a matter of fifteen minutes. I kid you not.

I've brought this homemade apple crisp to holiday gatherings and Thanksgiving feasts as my 'safe' food and have survived on it alone. The buckwheat flour and oats help keep you full until you can duck out quickly to eat at home or sneak back to the table 30-45 minutes later for another serving. Don't wait longer than this or else you might find its already disappeared!

There are a few 'tricks' to making the most amazing apple crisp anyone has ever had. The first one is to definitely use Granny Smith apples (the sour green ones). I just didn't happen to have any on hand, so I subbed, which was a bad move. The puckery-sweet taste rounds out the other flavors perfectly and if you use different apples, your tasters might not notice the difference, but you definitely will...especially if this is normally your favorite dessert as it is mine. 

The second 'trick' is to make sure the apples are coated with some type of yummy, goodness before anything else, so that once you bite into that apple, you taste all the amazing elements of fall spices in that one bite.

 

Can't wait any longer? Here's the recipe.

 

 Ingredients

10-12 apples (peeled and cored) The best apples for this recipe are definitely Granny Smith. You get a sour-sweet kick when you take a bite which is so important to this recipe!

1 Cup King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour

1 cup Buckwheat Flour (I use Organic Flour of Life brand from Whole Foods)

2 packets of Glutenfreeda's Instant Oatmeal, in Apple Cinnamon w/ Flaxseed

3/4 cup Nutiva Shortening
(if you're not allergic to dairy, you may use grass-fed butter instead)

1/4 cup USDA Organic Olive oil (to avoid fake imported olive oil)

1/4 cup USDA Organic orange juice (to avoid soy wax from regular oranges)

1 Tablespoon Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
(or regular McCormick's if you don't have fancy)

2 cups Organic Dark Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Organic Cane Sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ TSP Chinese Five Spice (If you don't have this, simply mix 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 2tbs brown sugar)

1 lemon (VERY important!)

2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt (omit one tsp if using butter)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease w/ bit of shortening a 13x 9 x 2 inch glass oven-safe container or something similar.

In a giant bowl, slice up the peeled and cored apples making sure to remove any of the surrounding hard membrane by the seeds. You might think this is insignificant, but its annoying to be on the receiving end of one of these 'seed cuticles' it imparts the same feeling as biting into a fishbone. Its not fun, so just take care not to leave them in or it can ruin the experience of your tasters!

Once all apples are sliced, squeeze both halves of a lemon all over the apple slices being careful to pick out any seeds. In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the Chinese Five Spice and 1 cup of the brown sugar. Pour this mixture over the apples and mix it all up making sure the spice/lemon mixture coats all apples. Spread the apples evenly into the glass pan.

In a large bowl, combine shortening, then vanilla, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup regular sugar, flour and then cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Sprinkle this mixture on top of all the apples and use a butter knife to scrape across the top so the height looks even.

Pour the olive oil over it all, then the orange juice. Bake for 30 mins then tousle the mixture (kind of like tilling soil) a bit with a fork; this way the dry bits on top fall to bottom and everything gets moisturized/oiled.

Remove from oven after 20-30 more minutes, using a toothpick or fork to check every ten minutes if apples are cooked soft and tender. That will tell you when its done!

And voila! When I bring it to dinners, I also bring Breyers Vanilla Bean ice cream to top it off with, however if you have dairy allergy, this is delicious on its own! 

 Enjoy! Comment below and let me know how it came out...and definitely share if you know anyone who could use a peanut-free, gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free apple crisp recipe!