Vegan Butterless Apple Crisp

I finally finished my thesis and I am settled into my new job. I figured I would kickoff October by fulfilling a promise and write down my recipe for my butterless apple crisp that my friend has wanted. When my mom showed me how to make her apple crisp I realized just how easy it is to make. I figured that if I was going to make this again I should try and figure out how to make a healthier version. So I set out to determine how I could remove the butter and have my “healthy” apple crisp.
Whenever I make this I use my small corelle dish and end up eating the whole thing in one sitting. This time I decided to try using my ramekin dishes and make multiple individual ones. That way I do not feel compelled to finish the bowl.

Side Note: apparently the difference between a crisp and a crumble is that a crisp contains oats.

Ingredients

1. 5 apples (I’ve used Ambrosia, Red Delicious, Mcintosh, and Gala apples before)
2. 2 tbs (for the apples) and 1/4 cup (for the crisp) of brown sugar
3. 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
4. 1 cup of all purpose flour
5. 1 cup of quick oats
6. 8 tbs of grape seed oil
7. Cinnamon

Makes 4 three-and-a-half inch ramekin apple crisps.

Tips

1. For the bowl used to contain the apple pieces I like to make sure the bowl is big enough for extra space. This allows the apples to more easily be coated with brown sugar and cinnamon in step 2.
2. To help cut the apples I like using my apple slicer similar to the ones found here.
3. For the grape seed oil I’ve typically used the grape seed oil I could buy in the Canadian Costcos. However, I haven’t been able to find it in the American Costcos. So I used the grape seed oils I found at the QFC shown in the picture used here.

Instructions

1. Wash, peel, and cut the apples (this time I used Gala apples). For cutting, I use my apple slicer to de-core the apples. I then cut each of the individual slices into about 3 pieces. You don’t want too small of pieces as they will shrink as they soften when they bake in the oven. Afterwards place the apple pieces in a bowl.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Add 2 tbs of brown sugar and some cinnamon to season the apples. Then cover the bowl with a lid, and shake the bowl gently in a circular motion. You want to cover the apples evenly with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set this bowl aside for now.
   
   
   
   
3. Begin by turning on the oven to 350°F to prepare it for when it is needed in step 7. Using another bowl, prepare the crisp mixture by adding the flour, oats, granulated sugar, the rest of the brown sugar, and the cinnamon.
   
4. Take out your bowl or ramekin dishes that the apple crisp will be baked in, and fill with the apple pieces.
   
5. Now gradually add about 8 tbs of grape seed oil to the crisp mixture while mixing with your other hand. You want the mixture to clumps together but not be too wet.
   
   
   
   
6. Take the crisp and place on top of the apples in the ramekins. Use some pressure to get the crisp to stick together. It is recommended to do this on top of a baking sheet or cutting board to help with the cleanup as some of the crisp will fall out of the bowl.
7. Place the apple crisp in the oven and let cook for about 1 hr. Check on it after about 45 minutes and you should notice along the edges that the apple juices are bubbling through the crisp. After about an hour take out of the oven and let cool.