When the weather calls for rain or cold, I joke that my sweet tooth activates (almost) immediately. I am of the belief that you can never quite “lose” a sweet tooth. You can only tame it. The only thing that’s changed since I began this health journey is what I satisfy those sweet cravings with. And at the end of the day, that’s what matters. That’s what makes all the difference.

If you need a dessert that can stand the test of time for at least 3-5 days in your fridge and can be served both warm or cold… Preferably warm. This is it! Am craving warm, sweet things these days. In the fall, Apple Crisp or Apple Crumble are among my favorite desserts. But if you have any frozen blueberries… this right here is the best possible thing you could do with them. I actually had two pints of frozen blueberries and some frozen strawberries and I quickly set to work.

Afternoon baking for me is nearly therapeutic after a hectic day. The kids love to participate and they each have small tasks. They mostly like to do measuring and pouring of ingredients. Their favorite thing in the world is to crack eggs open (which leaves me to fish for egg shell fragments half the time), but they were soon disappointed to learn that this recipe doesn’t call for any eggs. I jokingly offered my eldest “lemon squeezing privileges” and that was enough to keep him amused and interested. I really do believe that in order for kids to establish and maintain good eating habits later on in life, being in the kitchen from an early age and seeing how things are actually made is key.

This crumble is vegan, dairy, refined sugar & gluten free. The filling is merely berries, maple syrup, lemon juice, a splash of vanilla and pure amaretto extract. The topping consists of coconut oil, maple syrup, rolled oats (GF), almond flour, vanilla and coconut sugar. It’s made entirely of whole foods and unrefined, unprocessed ingredients. Basically, this entire berry crumble is beyond delicious and full of goodness!

Filling
2 cups of fresh blueberries
2 cup of strawberries
2-3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tbsp of pure vanilla extract or ground vanilla
1 tsp of pure amaretto or hazelnut extract (optional)

Crumble topping
2 cups of old fashioned rolled oats (I use certified gluten free oats)
5 tablespoons of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of coconut sugar
7 tablespoons of almond flour or almond meal
5 tablespoons of deodorized, cold-pressed  coconut oil

Instructions

1. Turn your oven on to 350F. Rinse the berries with water and once you’ve drained them, place them in a pie dish. Add the lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, amaretto and toss around gently with a spoon to ensure they all had a uniform sprinkling.

2. In a separate bowl, start preparing the mixture for the topping. Mix the oats and almond flour first, and then add the maple syrup and coconut oil. Clean hands work best on this mixture.

3.Once the coconut oil has been uniformly distributed, it’s time to press the topping gently over the berries in the pie dish.

4. Sprinkle the topping with the 2 tablespoons of coconut sugar for that nice brown and golden touch that butter would otherwise give. Coconut sugar is incredibly delicious and has an almost nutty-like flavor.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the filling has started bubbling up around the edges of the pie dish. That’s when you know it’s ready! Let cool for 10 minutes prior to cutting and serving. I like to eat mine with dairy free coconut ice cream and black coffee or tea. Happy Eating!!!