Gluten-Free Cranberry Crumble

Sweet and Tart.

So I have a question for you. Albeit, rhetorical. Who doesn't love a warm-from-the-oven fruit crisp or crumble? Personally, I'm a big fan. Obviously. Here's why. Imagine tender, juicy melt-in-your mouth bites of sweet fruit. A kiss of brown sugar. A hint of cinnamon.

And Darling- best of all? Embarrassingly easy.

Think about it. No wrestling with stick-to-itself plastic wrap. No rolling out finicky fall-apart gluten-free pie dough that- I am sorry to tell you- never has the authentic tender flakiness of the real thing. My nose would be growing like a woody on a sixteen year old watching Angelina Jolie in Beowulf if I told you any gluten-free pie crust I ever ate was worthy of the filling.

And besides. Who needs the hassle? Honestly. And why pies? Whose bright idea was it to make pies the epitome of holiday baking perfection? The holidays are stressful enough. All the family mishigas. The drama.

I'm over it.

Easy and tasty is my kind of dessert. Hence my love for fruit crisps and crumbles. Sometimes I bake crisps in individual baking dishes. Sometimes I make fruit crumbles in a glass pie plate. This way, it even (sort of) resembles a pie. 

If you squint.

Or knocked back a vodka martini or two.

Easy, delish gluten-free crumble with cranberries

Cranberry Peach Crumble Recipe

By Karina Allrich

Cranberries alone can be one big tart fest. So I pair them with whatever sweeter fruit I have on hand- apples, pears, peaches. Pictured is the pairing of sliced organic peaches with organic whole cranberries. The whole sweet and sour thing was scrumptious. No eggs. No dairy. Which crowns this recipe with precious vegan  status.

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced fruit- apples, peaches, pears- or a combo
1/2 heaping cup of whole cranberries- I used organic frozen cranberries, slightly thawed
A good drizzle of organic raw agave syrup, to taste
Sprinkle of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of arrowroot starch

For the crumble topping:

1 cup gluten-free flour mix or pancake mix
3/4 cup organic light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
4-6 tablespoons vegan shortening or coconut oil- as needed

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Schmear a deep 9-inch pie plate (or four individual baking/serving dishes) with vegan shortening.

Toss the sliced peaches and cranberries into a bowl. Drizzle with agave, cinnamon and arrowroot starch. Stir to coat.

In a separate bowl, mix together the crumble topping, and rub between your palms to create a soft, coarse crumble.

Sprinkle a scant handful of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the prepared pie plate. Spoon in the fruit mixture; add all the liquid. Top with the remaining crumble mixture.

Bake at 350ºF. in the center of the oven, for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the fruit is fork tender and the filling is bubbling and thickened. The top should be golden brown.

Cool a bit on a wire rack before serving warm or at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

The crisp may be reheated in the oven or a microwave, but it truly is best eaten the day you make it.

Serves 4.

Note-

For a simply gorgeous cane sugar-free version of this crumble by the lovely and talented Kleja, please wander over to klaydoughdreams.