Nov 2, 2021

Mini Apple Crumble

This low-calorie mini apple crumble recipe makes use of wonderful in-season apples and combines them with the warm spices of autumn.

Whenever I have a couple of apples on hand, and the need for a quick treat to share with friends, I turn to this easy apple crumble recipe. It has a bit of a twist, as I like to add cardamom, for a special Scandinavian flare.

To lower the calories from traditional apple crumble, I swapped all-purpose flour for almond flour, and eliminated the butter in favour for unsweetened apple sauce. However, this doesn't make the crumble as dry as it normally would be. It will remain sticky, but this will also enable you to press about 1/3 of the mixture into a bottom crust while still letting you spread the remainder over top, crumble-style.

The changes to ingredients also make this low-calorie apple crumble recipe dairy-free, glute-free, and if the brown sugar is swapped out for a vegan alternative, it also becomes vegan.

Despite having 1/4 cup of brown sugar, this recipe is not particularly sweet. It depends almost entirely on the type of apple used to provide its sweetness. It's for this reason I use my favourite kind of apple, honeycrisp. It's sweet yet a little tart and holds up well to baking.

At 201 calories a serving, this makes the perfect sharable treat. I like to make individual apple crumbles by using ramekins instead of one pan, but a small square, or 6" round springform, pan will work well.

Ingredients

(Makes 6 servings)

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/8 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
2 large red apples, peeled and sliced
0-calorie non-stick cooking spray

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375°F / 190°C.

Lightly coat a small square, or 6" springform, pan with non-stick cooking spray or 6, 4oz ramekins without cooking spray.

In a small mixing bowl, add brown sugar, flour, oats, apple sauce, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla. Combine with a fork until moistened and sticky.

Press a thin, even layer of the oat mixture in the bottom of pan then layer the apple slices. Crumble the remaining oat mixture evenly over top. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the apples are softened.

Serve and enjoy.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: