APPLE CHIA SEED CHOCOLATE CRUMBLE
What to do with apples when you’ve got plenty? Make apple pie or crumble of course!
We had two full bags of apples that we picked fresh from the orchard on our day trip to Stanthorpe over the easter long weekend.
What else would I do with them but create something absolutely, delightfully scrumptious with them, and make sure that the recipe is made with healthy whole food and nutrient dense ingredients.
It’s also dairy free, gluten free and naturally sweetened with medjool dates and a touch of raw honey. Aside from the coconut milk, which can easily be substituted, the crumble on the top is made with seeds, so you can make the whole recipe nut free if you need to.
Beloved made 2 traditional apple pies – pastry and all. Of course I wanted to create something completely new with more natural and nutrient dense ingredients.
The result surpassed my expectations, because although I had the idea of what I wanted to create, I wasn’t sure how I was going to put it together until I was literally putting the ingredients in the saucepan!
I love chia seeds and their easily digestive powers to keep you going for hours! The flavour, texture and satisfaction of this dish will completely satiate your hunger and nourish your senses.
I’m so pleased and delighted to share this new recipe with you all. It’s such an easy healthy recipe and the best apple pie or crumble recipe I’ve ever made! I’m in love with it!
Note that Pink Lady apples are quite sweet in their own right and the only natural sweetener that is used in the apple filling is medjool dates. I’m quite sensitive to sweetness but I find this is the perfect touch of sweetness to offset the tart. After you’ve made it once, you can then decide if you want to use a few less or a few more dates for next time.
For more delicious whole food recipes, check out my RECIPES page where I’ve conveniently collated them all under categories for you, and add to them regularly. 🙂
Enjoy!
Viki
APPLE CHIA SEED CHOCOLATE CRUMBLE
Fillings ingredients:
- 3 cups of coconut milk
- 4 Tablespoon Chia seeds
- 8 large pink lady apples, peeled and cored (Gala apples would also work well with their natural sweetness)
- 1-2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder
- 1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 20 medjool dates, pitted
- 2 Tablespoons white Tahini paste
- 1 heaped Tablespoon coconut oil (2 if melted)
Choc Crunch Topping:
- 1/2 cup buckinis
- 1/2 cup pepita seeds
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1 Tablespoon cacao powder
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 Tablespoon raw honey
Method:
- Heat a large saucepan over medium heat with the coconut milk and chia seeds. Mix with a spoon.
- Process apples to a mix of small to medium sized chunks in the large bowl of a food processor. Add to the saucepan and stir thoroughly. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes or until just tender.
- Soak the medjool dates in hot water while the apples simmer. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius.
- Add vanilla extract, salt and spices to the apple mix when tender and stir to combine. Turn the heat to low (a quarter of the heat dial) and allow to gently stew while you prepare the dates.
- Rinse the dates then process them with the tahini and coconut oil in the small bowl of your food processor until smooth and gooey. This won’t take too long at all.
- Add the date paste to the apple mix and turn the heat off. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir thoroughly to combine. The apple mixture will thicken a little.
- Allow the apple mix to stand while you pulse the buckinis, pepita and sesame seeds in the small bowl of a food processor until broken down into bits. Toast the seed mix on a biscuit tray for approximately 10-12 mins. Remove when lightly toasted and pour into a small bowl. Stir through the raw cacao powder, then immediately stir through the coconut oil and honey. Set aside to cool.
- Scoop the apple mix into a large pyrex baking or pie dish and smooth over the top.
- Lastly, gently scoop out the crunch topping and evenly place over the top of the apple mix.
- Enjoy whilst warm with cream or ice-cream and refrigerate any leftovers for up to 5 days.
