Apple Crisp!

So as promised, Apple Crisp! I absolutely love apple crisp.  I can eat it any time of day, and any time of the year!  But, since it's fall and officially appropriate to have apple crisp, I have been making it at least once a week!  I've gotten to the point where I could probably make this in my sleep :)  Any kind of crisp is super simple and the crumb part of this recipe you can definitely use with any kind of fruit underneath.  I personally like the crumb to apple ratio to be 1:1 unlike some people who like more apples.  I'd rather have like a giant oatmeal cookie on top of my warm soft apples. So here it goes!

Apple Crisp

3-4 crisp apples

(I like honey crisp but anything works)

1 cup of gluten free flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 - 3/4 stick of butter melted

1/2 tsp of salt

1 tsp cinnamon

sprinkle of sugar or drizzle of honey is optional

Cube up your apples in about 1 inch pieces.  Sprinkle them with a tiny bit of cinnamon, not from the 1 tsp in the recipe, and a little bit of sugar or honey if your apples are very tart.  These apples were particularly sweet so I didn't add anything but cinnamon.  If you are going to use different fruit in this recipe like blueberries or something that has more liquid in it, sprinkle the fruit with a bit of corn starch so as they cook it will create a sauce rather than a liquidy mess!!

Mix your dry ingredients together thoroughly so everything is well combined.

Drizzle your softened/melted butter into your dry ingredients.  Get your hands dirty because that's the best way to make these crumbs!  Don't use a spoon or fork because it'll just annoy the hell out of you.  Scrunch all of the ingredients together with your hands until they have this consistency and will stay stuck together a bit when you squeeze it.  You may have to add all of the butter or a bit less depending on your flour and stuff so just eye ball it until it looks like this.  

Disperse the crumbs on top of your apples.  Leave some bigger chunks of crumb mixture because that will be a nice surprise when you go to eat it later!  It's like a chunk of cookie on top of your apples :) SOooooo good

Cook in your preheated 350 degree oven for about 40-45 minutes until the crumbs are browned and crisp-y (haha, get it? apple CRISP) and your apples are soft to the touch.  I put a scoop of some coconut milk ice cream that I happened to have which was so yummy.  It was strawberry ice cream, that's why it looks pink in the picture, but regular vanilla ice cream or coconut whipped cream is amazing on this as well.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and make it just as frequently!! It can be a simple cozy night in kind of dessert or can be made fancier for dinner parties by baking them in individual little ceramic bowls.  Whatever floats your boat.

Coconut Custard

This coconut custard is so good.  I've been making this for a LONG time.  It just hits the spot every once in a while.  I even made it with sautéed fruit when I was doing the GAPS diet for a while, it can be adapted so easily.  Spring break just started and I thought it was time to make some of this yumminess again.  It's a healthy guilt free dessert that feels very decadent and special.

Coconut Custard

1 can full fat coconut milk

4 eggs

1/3 cup maple syrup (substitute honey for GAPS)

shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened for GAPS)

These custards can be whipped up in minutes.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, then put the coconut milk, eggs, and male syrup into a blender.  Whip up everything until it is nice and smooth.  Let it sit for a minute and try to skin off the bubbles.  You don't have to skim off the bubbles, sometimes I don't, but it makes a prettier, more cohesive custard without the bubbles sitting on top.  Next sprinkle the shredded coconut on top of your custards once you pour them into custard cups.

As you can see, I didn't skim the bubbles off this time :)

Next, place your custards into a bigger dish so you can bake them in a water bath.  Any custard-y kind of thing needs to be baked in a water bath to make sure that they bake evenly and don't separate. I put them on the oven rack first before I pour the water into the dish.  I am guaranteed to spill it everywhere if I fill it before transferring.  

Bake these yummy things for 30-40 minutes or until the custard is not liquid-y anymore and the coconut on top is toasted and delicious.  You can serve these as is, add berries on top, or sauté up some bananas or peaches in a little cinnamon and sugar to make these extra yummy.

ENJOY!