What’s a person to do? It’s autumn and both apples and pumpkin are in season. Which do you choose to make a treat? I know… use both.
If you can picture the taste of this combo and it rings your chimes, then this is the recipe for you. If not, give it a try anyway.
Pumpkins, squash and apples are all prebiotic so this is an easy way to have something that’s good for the gut. Don’t overthink treats. Pick the ingredients you want to use. Make the recipe and enjoy. Eating something that tastes good to you is important, too. When you’re happy, you help your gut. It’s part of the brain-gut connection.
I didn’t use pumpkin in this version as I could not find “pie pumpkins”. They are different from the ones we use for carving jack-o-lanterns. They are small and orange inside. A pumpkin is a member of the winter squash family so it does not really matter but this tastes best with small dense pumpkins or Hubbard squash. The one I used for this recipe is Golden Nugget. Originally cultivate to be a substitute for a sweet potato, it actually makes a really good pumpkin substitute.
I also used Northern Spy apples, which are the best baking apples. Not always easy to get but autumn is the when you’ll most likely find them. What’s interesting about this recipes is the how the combination of the apple and the squash or pumpkin taste. It starts out tasting like pumpkin and finishes tasting like apple by the time you swallow.
Can you use canned pumpkin for this recipe. Yes, but the overall texture will be different as it is already cooked and the apple is not. Be sure it is pure pumpkin puree. 1 small cane (14 oz or 396 ml)
Here is the recipe:
Pumpkin Apple Crumble
Crumble:
3/4 cup whole spelt or 1 cup almond flour
1/4 cup unsweetened, sulfite-free, shredded coconut
1/4 cup butter, ghee or coconut oil
2 tbsp coconut sweetener or organic brown sugar
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Few drops of water
Filling:
3 cups shredded pumpkin or squash*
4 cups shredded apples, peeled – either Northern Spy or Granny Smith*
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp all-purpose flour or 2 tbsp tapioca flour
1/4 cup yellow sugar, maple syrup or coconut sweetener
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp sea salt
*To shred the pumpkin or squash: Cut a small pumpkin into eighths. Peel the skin of the back side of the pumpkin or squash and scoop out the seeds. Grate the pumpkin on a cheese grater and then measure. For the apples, peeled the outside the of apple (optional) and grate on a cheese grater on all sides. A large apple will be 1 1/2 – 2 cups grated.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 4-inch baking dish with butter or coconut oil. Or use four 4-inch ramekins.
To make the crumble: Place all the ingredients in a food processor except the water and process until it starts to bind together a bit. The purpose of the water is to help bind better and stay together in the oven. Just add a few drops after it’s been processed. Set aside.
To make the filling: Mix the sugar or choice of sweetener, spices, flour and sea salt together. Put the pumpkin or squash in a bowl and add the sugar mixture. Toss to mix. Add it to the baking dish and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the filing. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm with you favourite ice cream or crème fraiche.
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