APPLE PEAR CRANBERRY GINGERBREAD CRISP

When Teri-Ann Carty (@terianncarty) and I collaborate in the kitchen, magic happens. And this recipe is no exception! Honestly, our gluten-free vegan Apple Pear Cranberry Gingerbread Crisp is the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas feast, or holiday potluck. It’s super easy to make and tastes as delicious as it looks! Bonus is, it’s so healthy that you can serve it for dessert — and then enjoy leftovers for breakfast the next morning! So you may just need to make a double batch! #doctorsorders

Ingredients for 6 servings:

Filling

• 6 cups diced apples and pears (2 to 3 of each, cored and chopped into small chunks)

• 1 cup frozen unsweetened cranberries

• 1/4 cup coconut sugar or Lakanto Golden sugar-free monkfruit sweetener (optional, see note below*)

• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (or juice from 1/2 lemon)

Topping

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats

• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup cultured vegan butter, melted (nonvegans can substitute grass-fed butter)

• 1/2 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup coconut sugar or Lakanto Golden sugar-free monkfruit sweetener*

• 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp gingerbread spice mix, adjusted to taste (recipe below)

• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

*Notes: When Teri-Ann and I first made this, we omitted the sugar in the filling and used only 1/4 cup in the topping. It was delicious, especially with the ice cream. However, for a sweeter crisp, or if your apples are tart, add some sugar or sweetener to the filling and/or increase to 1/2 cup in the topping. My hubs, kids, and other taste-testers have LOVED this crisp with Ambrosia apples and 1/4 cup Lakanto Golden in both the filling and crumble.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8x8 inch baking dish or cast iron skillet with coconut or avocado oil. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, add chopped apples, pears, cranberries, sugar or sweetener (if using), and lemon juice. Stir to combine, then transfer to prepared baking dish, spreading evenly.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the oats, pecans, 1/2 cup butter, flour, sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp gingerbread spice, and salt. Mix with a fork or pastry cutter until a sticky and crumbly topping is formed, adding additional butter as needed and/or spice mix to taste. Spread evenly over fruit mixture.

4. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown and nicely crisped. If the topping starts to become too brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking until the apples are done.

Allow crisp to cool slightly before serving with vegan vanilla ice cream (optional but highly recommended!). Leftovers can be stored, once fully cooled, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy cold or reheat before serving.

Apple Pear Cranberry Gingerbread Crisp served with vegan vanilla ice cream. Photo credits @terianncarty.

Homemade Gingerbread Spice Mix

This recipe makes just under 1/2 cup (7 to 8 Tbsp) of spice mixture. Up to 2 tablespoons are needed for the crisp and the rest can be reserved for use in baking (think cookies, banana bread, or my Gingerbread Granola), oats, pancakes, smoothies, or chia pudding. Alternatively, the recipe can easily be cut in half if a smaller amount is preferred.

Please note that you can adjust the spice mix to your liking by omitting/reducing or increasing certain spices.

Ingredients for approximately 1/2 cup spice mixture:

• 3 Tbsp ground cinnamon

• 2 Tbsp ground ginger

• 1 Tbsp allspice

• 2 tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tsp ground cloves

• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

• pinch of black pepper

Directions: Mix all the ingredients together and transfer to an airtight container such as a mason jar. Store in a cool, dry place for 3 to 4 months.