Who loves a fruity dessert in the summer?
While it’s nice for some folks to heed the simple advice of “just enjoy a cup of seasonal fresh fruit as your dessert,” that doesn’t always appeal… or we just want a touch more of something special.
Enter the Crumble into the dessert scene.
Except, how about an improved recipe (compared to the traditional) so that we can enjoy a lower sugar version? After all, there’s plenty of natural sweetness in fruits and the more we can appreciate the natural flavor, the less we need to be hooked on the Sugar Train.
On a side note, I grew up in the mode of adding sugar to my bowl of fruit (‘cuz that’s what others did around me). We added sugar to the strawberries, blueberries, etc. It wasn’t until much later in life when I learned this wasn’t necessary. And then I could actually taste the fruit, which was dang cool.
So, the traditional recipes call for about a cup of added sugar (along with butter), but I’m advocating here for a lower sugar version. You may be surprised that you don’t actually “need” what you thought. Here goes…
Recipe ingredients*:
3 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries (375 grams)
juice from 1/2 small lemon, or about 2 tsp
zest of 1/2 (or whole!) lemon (optional, but I recommend)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 c (40 grams) old-fashioned dry oats
1/2 c (60 grams) almond flour
1/2 c (50 grams) chopped raw walnuts (you can use pecans or other nuts)
1 Tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 tsp cinnamon (you can certainly double this or use nutmeg if you like too)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c melted coconut oil
1 Tbsp maple syrup (this is the only added sugar. I added it mostly to help bind some of the oats together)
Preparation steps:
Heat oven to 350F.
Spray or lightly oil an 8” square baking dish.
Stir together the blueberries, lemon juice/zest, and vanilla extract. Spread onto the bottom of the dish evenly.
Mix together the oats, almond flour, walnuts, shredded coconut, cinnamon, and salt. Add in the melted coconut oil and syrup. Combine well to get your crumble and then spread evenly on top of the blueberries.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the topping is evenly browned . Try not to drool when removing from the oven.
Before baking
And after baking
Basic nutrition info (for 9 servings):
180 calories (at least 100 calories less than the standard recipe)
13 grams carbohydrate (5.5 grams sugar)
~3 grams fiber
3 grams protein
~4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein
*This recipe is a blend and adaptation of two separate recipes (from paleoflourish.com and eatingbirdfood.com).
I hope you enjoy! (Let me know?)
P.S. I like to pair with a dollop of Greek or Icelandic plain yogurt for a protein booster.
-Dina