This vegan and gluten free apple crisp is flavored with chamomile and anise hyssop which yields a lovely amalgam of floral, sweet, and licorice notes. The warm spices in the oat crumble lend a subtle contrast and coziness to the dish.
I can’t begin to describe the dreary magic that is an apple orchard on a foggy fall morning. In order to be fully immersed in the experience, I left my camera in the car so you’ll have to settle for words. The smell was a mixture of damp earth and fermenting apples. The apple trees were in lengthy rows offering up plenty of space to wander, pick, and stand in awe. Through the fog you could see the reds, golds, and burnt umber of the other trees on the horizon. The ripe apples literally fell into your hand when you reached for them, letting you know they had served their time on the tree and were ready to be enjoyed.
I brought back most of the apples I picked (all 10 lbs of them) in my carry-on. I knew I wanted to make something special so I settled on a crumble studded with chamomile, anise hyssop, cloves, and cardamom. Chamomile, oats, and apples are one of my favorite combinations so I thought it a befitting match for my hand-picked Cortland and Crispin apples. The chamomile and anise hyssop (grown in my garden) create a lovely amalgam of floral, sweet, and licorice flavors. The warm spices went into the oat crumble so that you get a lovely contrast and that familiar sense of coziness they impart.
The good thing about this crumble is that you can make it as sweet (or not) as you want depending on whether you want to serve it for dessert or breakfast. This is reflected in the recipe below: use 2 tbsp of maple syrup in the filling and in the crumble if you want more of a breakfast-worthy dish. Or 4tbsp of syrup if you want more of a dessert vibe. I used a combination of Crispin and Cortland apples for this but any sweet-tart apple would work, i.e. Pink Lady, Northern Spy, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith. The apples in the photos and in the crumble were picked at Russell Orchards in Ipswich, Massachusetts.
Chamomile & Anise Hyssop Apple Crumble
- Total Time: 45-50 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan and gluten free apple crisp is flavored with chamomile and anise hyssop which yields a lovely amalgam of floral, sweet, and licorice notes. The warm spices in the oat crumble lend a subtle contrast and coziness to the dish.
Ingredients
for the filling:
- 7–8 cups diced apples
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp arrowroot
- 2–4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp dried chamomile
- 1 tablespoon dried anise hyssop leaves & flowers
for the crumble topping:
- 2 cups oats, divided
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- good pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp room temp/solid coconut oil or softened vegan butter
- 2–4 tbsp maple syrup, depending on how sweet you’d like it
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Add the apples, lemon juice, arrowroot, maple syrup, vanilla, chamomile, and anise hyssop to a bowl. Toss to mix then spoon into a 2-quart baking dish.
Put 1 cup of the oats into a blender or food processor and pulse until you have a coarse looking flour. Add this to a bowl along with the remaining oats, salt, and the spices. Mix, then add the coconut oil and maple syrup. Mash the coconut oil and syrup into the oat mixture until it begins to hold together in clumps and looks crumbly. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the surface of your apples.
Bake your crumble for 35 to 40 minutes or until the juices from the apples are bubbling and the oats are a deep golden color. Cool 5 minutes before serving.
Feel free to serve with a drizzle of cashew butter, freshly whipped coconut cream, or vegan vanilla ice cream if you like!
Notes
- If you don’t have access to dried anise hyssop leaves/flowers, you can use a teaspoon of ground fennel seed or ground star anise.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
- Category: dessert
