As the summer comes to a close and the weather starts to turn cooler, the orchards start to open and apples are ready to be picked. Every year our family looks forward to this delicious dessert we make with fresh picked apples. This recipe was passed down to me from my mom, and I made the modifications to make it gluten free. Not only would Mom make this dessert with fresh picked apples in the fall, she would also make this dessert with apples she had harvested and froze, and it was just as delicious any time of year!
This gluten free apple dessert is the perfect marriage between apple pie and an apple crisp. Instead of making a complicated gluten free pie crust, this recipe uses a mixture of gluten free oats and flour, as well as butter and brown sugar. This mixture is then used for both the crust as well as the topping.
The inside layer is comprised of peeled and sliced apples, a cooked cinnamon and sugar filling and then it is sprinkled with the crust and topping mixture.
In this recipe I used Honeycrisp apples, but feel free to use your favorite apple in this recipe.
This is much quicker than traditional apple pie because you do not have to make a pie crust or try and get a gluten free pie crust to neatly line up on top of the pie without falling apart or having to do “pie crust surgery”. I’m not much of a surgeon, I’m more of a baker!
Reserve 1-3/4 cups of the mixture for the topping and pat the rest into a lightly buttered 9x13 inch pan.
Next, layer the peeled and cut apples evenly on top of the crust.
In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 3 Tablespoons cornstarch and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Boil this mixture stirring consistently until it thickens. Pour the thickened mixture over the apples and top with the remaining crust/topping mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until apples are tender and it starts to bubble.
Warning: Your kitchen will be filled with an intoxicating apple pie aroma which may make it impossible to resist waiting for your dessert to cool. Please be careful not to burn yourself!