Healthy Apple Berry Crumble

As a general rule, I am not a huge fan of diet dessert. In my mind, diet + dessert = fresh fruit. Simple math, really. But as we’ve discussed before, even a dieter needs a treat on occasion. And if you are going to treat yourself, there are better and worse ways to do it.

Last year, my editor for my magazine column asked me to come up with some diet desserts for the magazine’s annual diet issue. Naturally, I published a healthy muffin recipe. (You all know how much I love coming up with those!) And I came up with my amazing oatmeal protein cookies. And the third dessert, I figured, would be a crumble. Lots of fruit, oatmeal topping, it seemed like the natural choice for a healthier dessert.

But I ran into a problem. Without sugar to break down the fruit, it simply wouldn’t cook fast enough to be ready at the same time as the crumble. Enter a clever solution, courtesy of my mom. She makes this fabulous and healthy dessert which is basically comprised of fruit, baked for a while until it is soft, sweet and delicious. I realized that by using that as a base for my crumble, I could make it sans sugar and still soft!

The results were everything I hoped for and more. These crumbles are delicious in a way that makes sure you don’t miss the sugar. Or the white flour. Or the excess fat. So make them, and feel good about yourself!

Healthy Apple Berry Crumble

By Miriam Pascal, OvertimeCook.Com

Originally published in my column in Ami Magazine

Ingredients:

4 apples, peeled and sliced thin

1 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and chopped

½ cup frozen blueberries, thawed

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

For the crumble:

1 cup oatmeal

2/3 cup white whole wheat flour

1/3 cup ground walnuts

¾ cup sweetener of your choice* (18 splenda packets, if using)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg white

3 Tablespoons oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the apples, berries and cinnamon in a large bowl. Toss to coat the cinnamon evenly.

Bake in a large pan for 30-40 minutes, until soft. Spoon into ramekins.

Prepare the crumble: combine all ingredients and stir until coarse crumbs form. (This is best done with your fingers, you don’t want to over mix.)

Spoon the crumble mixture over the fruit in the ramekins. Bake at 350 for an additional 20 minutes.

Serve hot.

*Note about the sweetener – use which ever dry sweetener you like and consider healthiest. You can use sugar, stevia, splenda, xylitol, etc. Whichever you choose, make sure to use 3/4 cup worth.

Yields: 4-6 ramekins

Enjoy!

Thanks everyone for stopping by! Come back soon for more amazing recipes, plus some cookbook reviews – and more giveaways! -Miriam