Clever apple crumble
The make-ahead granola topping in this recipe doubles up as an indulgent breakfast, with salted caramel flavour and extra-chunky whole nuts adding sweetness without being super-sugary. This is a base granola and, once toasted and cooled, you can stir through dried fruit, spices, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, or whatever else you have in. Make a batch at the weekend for easy midweek breakfasts, and a last-minute pudding whenever you have a crumble craving. Serve with yogurt rather than cream or custard for a lighter pud.
1 HOUR | SERVES 6 | EASY | V
Granny Smith apples 3 large, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm chunks eating apples 3, peeled, cored and cut into
1cm chunks
ground cinnamon Ω tsp
vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
maple syrup 1 tbsp dried berries or sultanas 50g
granola crumble 175g-200g (see below) coconut oil or butter 2 tsp
natural yogurt to serve
GRANOLA CRUMBLE (MAKES 500G) melted coconut or vegetable oil 2 tbsp
maple syrup 100ml
vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
rolled oats 300g
whole hazelnuts 50g pumpkin or sunflower seeds 50g
flaked almonds 50g
sea salt flakes a large pinch
1 Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
To make the crumble, whisk the oil, maple syrup and vanilla in a large bowl, then tip in the remaining ingredients, and mix well so everything is coated in the syrup and oil. Tip onto two large baking trays lined with baking paper, spread out into a single layer, and bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring now and then, until golden, crisp and toasted. Leave to cool on the trays. The crumble will keep in an airtight container for a month.
2 Put the Granny Smith apples in a pan with 3 tbsp of water. Cover and simmer over a medium heat for 10 minutes until the apples are very soft. Stir in the eating apples, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup and dried fruit. Add a splash more water if needed, and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the eating apples are just starting to soften.
3 Tip the apple mixture into a 20cm square baking dish. Sprinkle over the granola crumble. Dot over the coconut oil or butter, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the topping is golden and crisp, and the apple filling is piping hot and bubbling at the edges. Serve with spoonfuls of natural yogurt.
PER SERVING 254 kcals | fat 9G saturates 2.8G | carbs 36.4G | sugars 23.7G fibre 3.4G | protein 5G | salt 0.1G
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