This easy seasonal favorite will warm your heart and fill your home with the scent of baked apples and cinnamon. Why bewitched? Well, it’s spiked with a tantalizing Italian liqueur of herbs and spices called Strega, which means Witch! Think golden velvet, sweet mint, anise, juniper, fennel, and many other herbs. It leaves a lingering honey-tinged saffron-juniper flavor on your tongue. I love its subtle overtones with baked apples, and the alcohol is completely cooked away. You could serve small glasses of Liquore Strega Italian Liqueur as a digestive beverage with dessert! Buy it online at Liquorama Fine Wines. You won’t be disappointed.
This recipe makes a large 9 x 13 pan, and it will be gone in no time! Enjoy it plain or with Instant Coconut Whipped Cream Topping. BTW, apple peels are loaded with phyto-nutrients. Just make sure they’re organic and Monsanto-free, because sprayed GMO apples are common. I don’t peel my apples, and this saves prep time. Just core and slice them very thin so the peels soften while baking. If your apples have a tough peel like Granny Smith, consider peeling them.
The liqueur is not required. Without it, this will just be a very yummy apple crisp. It’s your choice. I invented the recipe for a food seminar I taught in Italy, and the participants loved it! Yes, you can freeze leftovers (ha ha! there won’t be any) in a serving-size container for up to 3 months. Yield: 8 -10 servings.
Stir together the crispy topping, and set aside.
Slice the apples very thin. Drizzle them with Liquore Strega and cinnamon.
Sprinkle the crisp topping over the apples and bake.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup medium-shredded unsweetened coconut flakes (not coconut flour)
- 1.5 cups (190 g) old fashioned rolled oats, or any flakes such as millet or spelt
- 1/3 cup mild gluten-free flour such as almond meal, barley, oats, etc.
- 1/2 cup 1/2 cup sweetener to taste such as Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or 4 teaspoons PureLo Lo Han Sweetener by Swanson, or 1/3 cup raw honey, or your favorite sweetener. (I suggest half brown sweetener and half white.)
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon unprocessed salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts, soaked and toasted if possible (See All About Nuts)
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (place jar in lukewarm water to melt oil)
- 12 tart apples (such as Granny Smith, Fuji, or Pink Lady) about 1300 grams after trimming
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup Strega Liqueur
- 1/2 cup sweetener you used above, or the equivalent.
- 1/4 cup arrowroot flour or tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
- 1/4 heaping teaspoon unprocessed salt
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (place jar in lukewarm water to melt oil)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with coconut oil.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the Crispy Topping ingredients, and set aside.
- Peel the apples if you're gong to do that. Core them, and slice very thinly, about 1/8 inch thick. Place them into your largest mixing bowl, add ALL the remaining filling ingredients, and toss the apples to spread the flavoring evenly. The apples cook down a LOT, so I suggest you FILL the baking pan about 3/4 or almost to the top, and bake it on a tray t catch any drips.
- Sprinkle the apples into the baking pan. Spread the crispy topping over the apples and press it in firmly. You can poke holes with a spoon handle so it will mix with the apple juices while baking.
- Bake until topping is golden brown, juices are bubbling, and apples are tender when pierced, about one hour. Cool for 1/2 hour on a rack. Enjoy!
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