Scrumptious hot from the oven, this Vegan Blackberry Crumble recipe can be made with other soft fruits as well. Sized just right for two people. Delicious with coconut whipped cream. Gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free.
Mix 1 ½ cups fresh blackberries in a bowl with ¼ cup maple syrup, 1 TB arrowroot, ⅛ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. cinnamon, and1 tsp. lemon juice. Mash a few berries to release juice. Stir well to dissolve the arrowroot. Spoon blackberry mixture into a small baking dish approximately 5x7 inches or 6 inches round.
Mix together 2 TB gluten-free or all-purpose flour, ¼ cup almond flour, 2 TB coconut sugar, 2 TB shredded coconut, 1/16 tsp. salt, and 2 TB coconut oil. Squeeze the topping firmly in your hands and crumble it over the fruit. Arrange 2 TB coarsely chopped macadamia nuts on top.
Bake
Bake blackberry crisp on the middle rack of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling around the edges and in the center.
Ovens vary, so judge crisp by these signs: Bake long enough for the arrowroot to cook fully and become transparent. The crisp topping should be lightly browned, and the macadamia nuts golden. Take care the last couple of minutes not to burn them.
Serve
Cool baked fruit crumble for 5 minutes. Serve right away or anytime on the same day.
Vegan vanilla ice cream is delicious with hot blackberry crumble and coconut whipped cream is a good pairing when it has cooled more.
Notes
IngredientsUse fresh fruit and not frozen.Omit salt from crumble ingredients if using vegan butter in place of coconut oil.PreparationThe basic recipe makes enough for two hungry eaters. If doubling or tripling the recipe make each batch separately and bake in two or three pans accordingly.Hold macadamia nuts aside while mixing the remaining ingredients for the crumble topping. Then, distribute pieces of crumble topping over the unbaked fruit and finally place macadamia nuts overall.Bake long enough for juices to bubble and turn translucent.Watch carefully the last couple of minutes of baking as macadamia nuts can burn quickly. Let them turn golden and then pull the crumble out of the oven.Variations
Pear crumble - Make sure your pears are ripe enough to give way with a squeeze. Peel pears with coarse skin for a nice soft filling that compliments crunchy macadamia nuts. Leave out the lemon juice and replace cinnamon with allspice.
Apricot crumble - This is the one that started it all. Apricots are fabulous in this recipe! Cut pitted apricots in one-inch pieces with the skin on. Leave out the lemon and substitute cinnamon with ground ginger.
Raspberry crumble - Mellow raspberries benefit from a little tartness. Increase the lemon juice to one tablespoon and add ½ a teaspoon of grated lemon zest. Keep the cinnamon just like the blackberry version.
Mangocrumble - Treat yourself to tropical heaven with fresh, ripe mango. No frozen fruit please. You can use the exact same recipe as the blackberry crumble. Substitute mango for fresh blackberries and keep everything else the same.
Wild card crumble - Mix and match fruit and spice combinations for your own creation. Two of our favorite combos are raspberry/mango and pear with Suriname cherry. You'll be on your own as to the spices and citrus, but hopefully the combinations above give you an idea of how to adjust for different fruit.