This peanut butter apple crumble has a delicious, natural peanut butter based topping and is incredibly simple to put together. Gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free and 100% whole grain.

This recipe actually started off as peanut butter apple crumb bars. But that got complicated. My choice was to either most likely attempt it another 3 times before giving up and feeling defeated OR I could just turn it into a crumble. I obviously decided to take the easy way out and am so thankful that I did because there’s no way that bars could have beat these peanut butter crumbles!

I originally had a whole wheat topping, but then I saw a big bag of oat flour just sitting there and thought that the gluten-free folks may appreciate me using that. So now my gluten-free friends and my whole grain loving friends can be happy together (since oats are also whole grain!)

You can use four ramekins or two 5″ tart dishes. The sides of my dishes were about 1″ high. If yours are a lot smaller, then maybe divide the crumble between 2 tart dishes and a small ramekin. The recipe can easily be doubled or even quadrupled if you want a larger amount. Just be sure to refrigerate it to prevent the topping from becoming soft overnight.

The first time I made this, I didn’t add any cinnamon. I thought that peanut butter and maple syrup were too perfect together to mess with, but… the apple portion didn’t taste like anything. The peanut butter topping, which is almost like a crumbly peanut butter cookie, totally overwhelmed it. So the next time, I added a little cinnamon.

With the cinnamon addition, they were perfect. But when I starting taking the pictures, I realized that the crumbles looked boring on their own and figuring that ice cream would perhaps be a strange combination (and not wanting to go to the grocery store), I chose to go the peanut butter route.

These no-bake peanut butter cookies that I posted a few months ago are made by boiling peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla and coconut oil and tossing in some oats. Leave out the oats and coconut oil and that’s what we’ve got on top of these crumbles! The only difference is that I added a little more maple syrup. The sauce was just too thick without it.

If you’re used to my somewhat reduced sugar treats, don’t be surprised when you take a bite of these peanut butter crumbles. They’re sweet. As sweet as regular desserts. Especially with the added peanut butter maple sauce! I know some of you are going to feel compelled to reduce the sugar, but remember that you’re likely going to affect the shape and structure of the crumbles. If you do experiment, let us know how it goes because I could always do with less sugar!

Peanut Butter Apple Crumble (gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, 100% whole grain)

• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 30 min
• Ready in: 1 h
• Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients

For the peanut butter topping:

• 1/4 cup (64 grams) salted natural peanut butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (17 grams) light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (29 grams) oat flour (use gluten-free oat flour, if necessary)
• 1/4 cup (22 grams) rolled oats (use gluten-free oats, if necessary)
• 1/16 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/16 teaspoon salt

For the apples:

• 3 cups (350 grams) peeled, cored and diced apples (about 3 medium apples / 555 grams apples pre-coring and peeling)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or more, if desired)
• pinch of salt

For the peanut butter maple sauce:

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salted natural peanut butter (the kind with just salt and peanuts)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the peanut butter, melted coconut oil, sugar and maple syrup. Add in the oat flour, oats, baking powder and salt and stir until well combined. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes while preparing the rest of the recipe.
2. Place the apples in a medium mixing bowl and add the remaining apple portion ingredients. Stir until well combined.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and grease two 5" tart dishes.
4. Divide the apple mixture between the two dishes. Top with the peanut butter topping.
5. Place the crumbles on a baking sheet to catch any possible spills. Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is firm and the apples have started to bubble lightly.
6. Let cool for about 20 minutes before serving. Cover and keep at room temperature for up to 12 hours and then refrigerate (which prevents the topping from softening) for up to 3 days.
7. Before serving, prepare the peanut butter maple sauce. In a saucepan, mix together all sauce ingredients over medium heat. At first it won't appear to come together well. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and while continuing to stir constantly, boil for about 30 seconds. It should have thickened a bit and should you have any leftovers after pouring it over your crumbles, will continue to thicken while cooling. The sauce will be too firm to pour at room temperature. To liquefy it again, reheat it on the stove over low heat, while stirring constantly, until liquid.

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Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com