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Caramel Apple Crumble (gluten free)

Why should pumpkin get all the fall foodie love?

This paleo Caramel Apple Crumble is what autumn dessert dreams are made of! Dairy-free Medjool date caramel sauce is the star of the show in this recipe, used to sweeten the topping and drizzle on top…yum! Spiced apples covered in caramelly, coconutty goodness is such an easy treat to bake, and leaves your house smelling heavenly…

Natural Delights Medjool Dates add a wonderfully rich caramel flavor to this apple crumble recipe. And, there’s no added sugar, so the natural flavors of the apples and dates really shine through! The caramel sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days. 

Tip: This caramel sauce is also amazing on it’s own, as a dip for apple slices! Try granny smith, honeycrisp, or pink lady apples…

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Caramel Apple Crumble

Paleo apple crumble with dairy-free Medjool date caramel sauce, in the crumble topping and drizzled on top! 

  • Author: Andrea Overturf
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Scale

For the Date Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup packed pitted Natural Delights Medjool Dates (soak in warm water for 10 min prior to using, then drain well before adding to blender)
  • ¾ canned light coconut milk (or nut milk of your choice, I like the creaminess and flavor for this recipe. See recipe notes for more tips on sauce thickness)
  • 1 tsp sea salt or regular salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Apple Filling 

  • 56 medium apples, sliced to ¼ in thickness (about 8 cups). I used honeycrisp and left the skin on for extra fiber!
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ginger

For the Caramel Crumble Topping

  • 1 cup chopped nuts of your choice ( I used ½ cup pecans, ½ cup walnuts)
  • 6 tbsp coconut oil (softened) or ghee
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • 2 tbsp date caramel sauce (recipe above)
  • ⅔ cup unsweetened coconut flakes (I used the larger size flakes)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground allspice
  • ⅛ tsp sea salt

Instructions

For the Date Caramel Sauce

You’ll want to use fresh dates for this recipe. If they are dried out/hard they will be more difficult to work with. Store this sauce in the fridge for up to 7 days! 

  1. Soak dates in warm water for 5 min prior to using, then drain well before adding to blender
  2. Remove the pits from the dates (if not already pitted) 
  3. Add dates to the blender jar along with the salt, vanilla, and ¾ cup light coconut milk.. (I use a Ninja high speed blender)
  4. Blend for about 15-30 seconds. Stop blender and scrape down sides, pushing unmixed ingredients down into the jar.
  5. Cover and blend again for 15-30 seconds. 
  6. Repeat until all ingredients are well integrated and you reach the desired consistency. Add the additional ¼ cup of coconut milk to thin the mixture further. (¾ cup of coconut milk seems perfect for dipping/dollops, and 1 cup makes it a little thinner for drizzling)
  7. Refrigerate until ready to use then pull out for a few minutes prior to serving.

Note: I reserved two tablespoons for the topping and poured the rest into a squeeze bottle for drizzling. 

For the Apple Filling 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with the spices until evenly coated, then transfer to a baking dish and set aside. 

For the Caramel Crumble Topping

  1. Put all crumble topping ingredients in a food processor and pulse, until the nuts are coarsely chopped and the ingredients are well combined. 
  2. Push mixture down sides of blender bowl if needed and pulse again. Don’t over process, you want the texture to be thick and crumbly. (This does not take long.)
  3. Sprinkle the topping all over the apples to fully cover. 
  4. Bake in the preheated oven loosely covered in a sheet of foil for 50 minutes.
  5. Remove the foil and bake 5-10 more minutes, until the apples are soft and the topping is slightly golden and crisp. 
  6. Let sit for 15-20 minutes to cool before serving. 
  7. Serve with a scoop of your fave vanilla ice cream and/or drizzle some of the date caramel sauce over the top for extra gooey caramelly goodness! 
  8. If you have leftovers, store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days and reheat before serving…enjoy! 

Notes

For easier blending, soak dates in warm water for 5 min prior to using, then drain well before adding to blender. The caramel texture comes out smoother when a high speed blender is used. 

Keywords: Paleo, grain free, dairy free, medjool dates, fall desserts, apple crisp, apple crumble

Did you make this recipe?

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Be sure to check out the Natural Delights Raised on Sunshine sweepstakes, to enter for a chance to win one of three awesome Natural Delights prize packages including National Parks passes and a GoPro camera! 

Love this recipe? See other sweet and savory recipes containing Natural Delights Medjool Dates here. Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day! 

Photography: Kristen Massad

Welcome! Loubies and Lulu is a Dallas-based fitness, fashion, and healthy lifestyle blog by Andrea Overturf.

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