Since I have been gluten free (and a lot of other things free too) this year, I’ve been experimenting with recipes that fit my dietary needs and desserts are always tough. This recipe has no gluten or sugar and instead is filled with healthy alternatives that don’t skimp on the flavor and sweetness. I made this alternative to apple pie in my favorite pie dish to make it feel more traditional rather than in a baking dish and it really did the trick. I hope you like it too!

I absolutely love pears so I decided to throw in some pears this year. I pealed them and then I like to chop my apples and pears smaller so they cook quicker and are easy to take bites of. I used 2 pears, 2 granny smith apples and one fuji. I like the mixtures of tart and sweet but you could use any combination of about 5 apples or pears.

One kitchen trick I always use when cutting up apples or pears is after I cut them in half, I always us a melon baller to hollow out the core. It works great and cuts back on time. Then slice them pretty thin.

My sugar substitute go-to has always been coconut sugar. I love the nuttiness it adds, sort of like a brown sugar would. I coat the apples with coconut sugar, gluten free flour (a blend I use from Bob’s Red Mill) and cinnamon.

Once it’s coated in the dry mixture, I add in the juice of half a lemon to bind it all and add some moisture.

Then, I put the apple mixture into the pie dish and set it aside while I make up a quick crumble for the top. It super simple with gluten free oats, coconut sugar, gluten free flour, salt and coconut oil.

I simply mix all the topping ingredients together and layer it over the apples. Then I bake it in the oven at 350 for about 30-40 minutes or until I can tell the apples are cooked and soft. I usually just insert a sharp knife into the center to check for this. If it needs more time and the topping is brown enough for me, I’ll just cover it with some foil for the remaining 10-15 minutes or so until it’s just how I like it.

Apple+Pear Crisp {Gluten+Sugar Free}

Filling Ingredients:

2 Pears, 2 Granny Smith Apples, 1 Fuji Apple (or any combination of 5 apples or pears)

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup gluten free flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Juice of half a lemon

Topping Ingredients:

1 cup gf oats

1/2 cup gf flour

1/2 cup coconut sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup coconut oil (warmed to a liquid)

Directions:

Peel and core and thinly slice apples and pears.

Mix together the dry filling ingredients in a separate bowl, then coat the apples and pears with the dry ingredients. Pour the lemon juice over everything until it all comes together and moistens. Dump this mixture into your 10″ pie dish.

In another small bowl, mix the dry topping ingredients together, then pour the coconut oil over it and mix until well combined. Spread the topping over your apples evenly.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. Check it after a while to make sure the topping isn’t getting too brown and if it is, cover it with foil until its ready. I always check the apples with a sharp knife in the center to be sure they are soft. You should also see some bubbling and running of the apples underneath the topping.

If you make my recipe I’d love to hear about it! Share it on your instagram and tag me so I can see it and repost it!