Have a sweet tooth but don’t want the overly processed sugar? This Apple Crumble can help to satisfy it naturally. Braising the apples helps to bring out their natural sugar and adding a bit of date paste adds more natural sweetness plus fiber and nutrition.
Preheat the oven to 325F.
Make the crust: Add the pecans, dates, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt (if using) to a food processor and blend until you get a moist, crumbly mixture.
Scoop the crust into a pie dish and press down with your clean hands or a spatula to form your pie base. Set aside.
Make the apples: In a large stovetop pot, heat the water and arrowroot powder on medium-high and stir until it has dissolved.
Add the apples, cinnamon, date paste, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Stir until all ingredients are mixed together well. Turn heat down to medium and simmer until apples are soft, about 10–12 minutes, stirring often. Set aside.
Make the topping: In the same food processor that you made the crust, add the pecans, dates, and salt, if using. Blend until the dates and pecans are crumbly.
Add the oats to the food processor and pulse until the oats are coarsely chopped.
Scoop the pecan oat mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8–10 minutes (careful not to burn as oven temperatures can vary).
Remove from the oven and let cool a bit — it’ll get crispy as it cools.
Assemble your crumble: Scoop the apples on top of the pie crust. Sprinkle the pecan oat mixture on top of the apples.
4 servings