Apple and Blackberry Spelt Crumble

madnad

Finally, after what seems like a horrendously long summer, we are starting to see the promise of cooler autumn days. I am sure many of you mourn the loss of summer, but not me. I love the scents, colours, clothes of autumn, but most of all, I love the food.

Now the days are colder, thoughts turn to warm and comforting food – especially desserts. I went to the local nature reserve and managed to snag a small bowlful of late blackberries. Combined with apples from the tree in the garden, I almost had a dessert. I had considered a pie, but the simplicity and comfort of a crumble spoke to me.

To make things a little more interesting, I decided to use spelt flour to make the crumble. I recently decided that I wanted to keep a closer eye on my blood sugar levels. Wheat is notoriously bad, as a carb, for causing blood sugar levels to spike, so I started looking around for alternatives. Spelt is an ancient ancestor of wheat, but it is higher in fiber and proteins so is a much slower digestion. You can buy a wholewheat or white version of spelt flour, but I used white in this version. Feel free to substitute the wholewheat version if you prefer.

I like a generous ratio of crumble to fruit, but feel free to use less. You can chill or even freeze any left over crumble mix. I served it with a scoop of sugar-free vanilla ice cream, which I allowed to melt over the hot fruit… mmm delicious!

Apple and Blackberry Spelt Crumble

Serves 4-6
Dietary Vegetarian
Meal type Dessert
By author Mutherfudger

Ingredients

  • 300g Fresh Blackberries
  • 300g Dessert Apple
  • 225g White Spelt Flour
  • 75g Ground Almonds
  • 150g Butter (cold)
  • 75g Granulated Sugar
  • ½ teaspoon Cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6
2. Peel and dice the apples to bite size pieces. Add the blackberries then stir to mix. Pour into an over proof dish
3. In a separate bowl, add the flour and ground almonds. Cut the cold butter into small cubes, then rub into the flour mixture until it resembles large breadcrumbs
4. Add in the sugar and cinnamon and stir through to mix evenly. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the fruit
5. Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden and the fruit is bubbling
6. Serve hot with cream, ice cream or custard

Note

To make things a little more nutritious, add a tablespoon or two of milled flax seed

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