This Gluten Free Apple Dessert is the perfect treat for apple lovers. The sweet apple filling sits on a streusel crust and is topped with more delicious streusel. If you’re a fan of apples, you have to try this yummy dessert!
While the proverb, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” may be true, this apple dessert will have your friends and family coming back for more. A cross between an apple crisp and a pie, this gluten free dessert includes both a tasty crust and a sweet topping.
What are the Best Apples to Use?
You’ll want to select a good baking apple like Braeburn, Gala, Golden Delicious, or Granny Smith. These varieties all have a firm texture and good apple flavor. I like to use Granny Smith because their natural tartness prevents this apple dessert from being overly sweet.
While the Red Delicious and Fuji can be good choices for eating, they don’t work well for baking. The Red Delicious become mushy and overly sweet, and the Fuji are too firm and don’t break down enough in the 60 minutes needed to bake this dessert.
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Like many fruit crisps and crumble recipes, this apple dessert uses oats. As someone with Celiac disease, I’m always careful when a recipe calls for oats. Although many folks with gluten-intolerance can enjoy regular oats without any problem, I used certified gluten free oats for this apple dessert.
Are Oats Gluten Free?
Pure oats are gluten free, but most packaged oats have the potential of cross-contamination. If the oats are processed in a facility that also processes wheat, barley, and rye, it’s possible the oats are no longer free of gluten. For more information see, The Oat-Conundrum: Are Oats Gluten-Free?
How to Make Gluten Free Apple Dessert
Peel and dice the apples and melt the butter. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and set aside a 9”x9” baking pan.
Making the Crust and Topping
Place the gluten free flour, brown sugar, gluten free oats, pecans, spices, and salt in a medium bowl and stir together until combined (photos 1 & 2)
Add the melted butter to the mixture and stir until completely incorporated (photo 3).
Remove 1 & ½ cups of the mixture and set aside for the topping.
Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a 9”x9” baking pan and bake for 10 minutes (photos 4 & 5).
Making the Apple Filling
Place the peeled and diced apples in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with the lemon juice and vanilla extract.
In a large saucepan, whisk together the apple juice, sugar, and flour until the sugar and flour are dissolved. Bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until thickened, about 1-2 minutes (photo 6).
Remove from heat, add to the apples, and stir to combine (photo 7).
Pour the filling into the baked crust and sprinkle with the reserved topping mixture (photo 8).
Bake for 60-65 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
Baker's Tips
- When making this dessert for someone with Celiac disease, consider using gluten free oats to be safe.
- Use a good baking apple with a firm texture and good flavor. I like to use Granny Smith apples for this recipe.
- Allow the apple dessert to cool completely before slicing and serving. The apple filling will set up as it cools.
If you like your dessert warm, place a serving on a microwave-safe plate and heat at 30 second intervals to the temperature of your liking. Use caution when microwaving the dessert as the filling can become quite hot.
If you like the flavor of apples, give this Gluten Free Apple Dessert a try. The delicious apple filling, layered between a tasty crust and sweet topping, is hard to resist. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to take it to the next level. Happy Baking!
More Gluten Free Recipes with Fruit to Try
- Gluten Free Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Apple Walnut Crumb Cake {Gluten Free}
- Easy Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins
- Strawberry Bread Recipe
- Easy Gluten Free Blueberry Crisp
Find more gluten free dessert recipes in the Recipe Index.
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Gluten Free Apple Dessert
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 cups gluten free flour
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup gluten free oats
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling:
- 1 ½ cups apple juice
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons gluten free flour
- 6 cups baking apples, peeled and diced
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Peel and dice apples and melt butter.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set aside a 9"x9" baking pan.
For the Crust:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the gluten free flour, brown sugar, gluten free oats, pecans, spices, and salt until combined.
- Add the melted butter and stir until completely combined.
- Set aside 1 & ½ cups of the mixture for the topping.
- Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a 9"x9" pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
For the Filling:
- Place the peeled and diced apples in a large mixing bowl.
- Drizzle the lemon juice and vanilla extract over the apples.
- In a large saucepan, whisk together the apple juice, sugar, and flour until the sugar and flour are dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until thickened, 1-2 minutes.
- Add to the apples and stir to combine.
- Pour the filling into the crust.
- Sprinkle the reserved mixture over the top of the filling.
- Bake for 60-65 minutes until the filling is bubbly.
- Cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- When making this dessert for someone with Celiac disease, consider using gluten free oats to be safe.
- Use a good baking apple with a firm texture and good flavor. I like to use Granny Smith apples for this recipe.
- Allow the apple dessert to cool completely before slicing and serving. The apple filling will set up as it cools.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information provided is an estimate and will vary based on products and brands you use. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the ingredients you are using with your preferred nutrition calculator.
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