Fragrant Vanilla Cake

Tag: crisp

  • Vegan Peach Coconut Macadamia Crumble

    Vegan Peach Coconut Macadamia Crumble

    We have been eating loads of peaches lately.  My Dad gave us half a case of Colorado peaches a week ago, and we have made it about half way through them.  They are all so good and flavorful so I have been eating most of them as is.  But I decided a peach crumble sounded amazing! Crumble or crisp is one of my favorite desserts because it is so simple and easy to make!  This time I made a Vegan Peach Coconut Macadamia Crumble!

    I make my crumble a little different than most people.  I put the filling in the baking dish, cover it and bake until the fruit is tender and bubbling then I put the topping on.  This way the topping does not burn and the fruit is cooked through every time.  These peaches were so flavorful I just added a touch of maple syrup and vanilla and they were perfect!

    For the topping I always like to use oats along with the flour because they give it a nice texture! My Mom did this and I always loved it growing up. This time I had macadamia nuts and coconut on hand from another recipe so I decided to add them into the topping.   They are so heavenly paired with the peaches! This topping was nice and crunchy!

    This smelled amazing while baking!  I could not wait to try it!  My favorite way to serve crumble is warm with some cool ice cream on the side so that is exactly what I did!  It was so incredibly delicious with the sweet vanilla scented jammy peaches and crispy sweet nutty crumble on top!  This is so easy to make, so if you have peaches on hand, definitely make this Vegan Peach Coconut Macadamia Crumble!

    Vegan Peach Coconut Macadamia Crumble
    Serves 2

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Fruit:

    • 3 cups organic peaches, sliced
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • pinch sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp organic whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose flour

     

    Topping:
    • 3 Tbsp organic whole wheat pastry flour or all purpose flour
    • 3 Tbsp large flake dried unsweetened coconut
    • 3 Tbsp chopped macadamia nuts
    • 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
    • 3 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 3 Tbsp coconut oil

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with parchment paper on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, vanilla, sea salt, and flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    2. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make the topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hands scrunching together to form small clumps until there are no floury spots left.
    3. Remove baking fruit from oven. Top with the crumble topping, spreading it out evenly over the fruit. Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on it could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!
  • Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

    Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

    Every year I look forward to strawberry rhubarb season. Ever since I was a little kid and I would eat my Grandma’s home made strawberry rhubarb sauce by the bowlful and finish off the 2 lb jars she would make in no time. She always had a bunch of rhubarb growing behind her garage so she made loads of sauce every year. She is no longer around, so I usually get my rhubarb from my Dad’s house, and I still make strawberry rhubarb goodies because they are always so good. There is just something about that perfect balance of tart and sweet.

    Last week, I decided that I needed to make something strawberry rhubarb ASAP because I hadn’t made anything yet this year. We have been a little behind here in Minnesota when it comes to weather and growing things. Since we had loads of snow that stuck around until far into April. It’s ok though, it is something to look forward to!

    So I got some rhubarb, and made a strawberry rhubarb crisp! I am honestly surprised that I haven’t put a recipe on my blog for this before, because I have made it many times over the years, but it is so good, and definitely something you need to try if you have rhubarb where you live. The thing I love most about it besides it just being good is the fact that it is so easy to make. I love crisp just as much as pie, but there is no rolling out a bottom crust to deal with.

    For the filling, I keep it simple just strawberries, rhubarb, maple syrup, vanilla and flour and it bakes up to bubbly perfection! For the topping I like to add oats and coconut along with my flour to give it even more crunch and it is sooo good! This crisp is fabulous when served warm with coconut milk ice cream! Get the recipe on my website:

    Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
    Serves 2

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Fruit:

    • 1 1/2 cups organic rhubarb, sliced
    • 1 1/2 cups organic strawberries, quartered
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • pinch sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp organic whole wheat pastry flour

    Topping:

    • 3 Tbsp organic whole wheat pastry flour
    • 3 Tbsp large flake dried unsweetened coconut
    • 1/2 cup organic rolled oats
    • 3 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 3 Tbsp coconut oil

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with parchment paper on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, vanilla, sea salt, and flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    2. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make the topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hands scrunching together to form small clumps until there are no floury spots left.
    3. Remove baking fruit from oven. Top with the crumble topping, spreading it out evenly over the fruit. Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on it could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!
  • Vegan Strawberry Peach Crisp

    Vegan Strawberry Peach Crisp

    There was a time a few years back (well more like 10 years back) that I made fruit crisps every weekend.  I mean, they are healthy, delicious and really easy to make.  Yes, I love things like cheesecake and pie but they are a little more work to make, and crisp is a little lighter with its higher fruit content.  So it was my weekend treat for a while.   It was always satisfying and I made sure that I was able to enjoy it soon after it was made while it was still warm.  Also, it had to have cool coconut milk ice cream too.   I love that contrast of warm and cool, the jammy fruit and the creamy rich ice cream.  Maybe I get my love of fruit crisps from my Mom.  I can remember back when I was in high school, when I would get home from my cross country or ski practice and she would have made some apple crisp that had scented the house with the most delicious aroma.  She always used oats in the topping for extra crunch (and fiber, but I didn’t care about fiber at that point in my life) instead of just the flour and butter most people used.   It was always so good!  I love a good apple crisp in the Fall, but nothing compares to sweet berry crisps in the Summer.  Not that I would ever turn down any fruit crisp.

    I realized this week when I was talking to my Mom and she mentioned how much she loves crisp, that I haven’t made one at all this Summer!  Now, that is just absurd, because it is not like I haven’t had fruit on hand.  I also realized how much I missed it suddenly and wanted to make some!  So on Friday, I picked up some organic peaches and strawberries and thought that they would make an amazing crisp flavor combination.  The peaches were just perfectly ripe and juicy, none of that woody dry stuff going on (like when they pick them too early sometimes), and the strawberries were sweet and flavorful.  That is why it is important to buy fruit when it is in season, so that you get the most delicious end result with your recipes.  Plus, if they are sweet, you don’t need to add as much sweetener to your recipe.

    These didn’t need much.  This recipe is very easy to make, you just mix the fruit together, bake it covered for a while, sprinkle it with the topping, bake it a little longer and it is done!  That is what I love about crisp, it is like pie just no bottom crust and a lot less work to make.  My kitchen smelled amazing while it was baking! I add a little coconut to the topping and it gives it a little something extra and just adds to the heavenly aroma!  I could not wait to dive in!  It had to be served with ice cream of course. I had some Bourbon Peach Ice Cream on hand, which was perfect with it!  The crisp was sweet, the fruit baked to jammy perfection, and the crisp topping the perfect contrast with it.  It is kind of like really good oatmeal cookies but more crunchy.  If you are looking for an easy but delicious dessert, give this a try!  Summer is almost over so get on it!

    Vegan Strawberry Peach Crisp
    Serves 2

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Fruit:

    • 1 1/2 cups organic peaches, sliced
    • 1 1/2 cups organic strawberries, quartered
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
    • pinch sea salt
    • 2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour

     

    Topping:
    • 3 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
    • 3 Tbsp large flake dried unsweetened coconut
    • 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
    • 3 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 3 Tbsp coconut oil

     

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with parchment paper on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, vanilla, sea salt, and flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    2. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make the topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hands scrunching together to form small clumps until there are no floury spots left.
    3. Remove baking fruit from oven. Top with the crumble topping, spreading it out evenly over the fruit. Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on it could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!
  • Vegan Marionberry Peach Crisp

    Vegan Marionberry Peach Crisp

       Marionberry Peach Crisp 4

    There was a time in my life that I loved fruit crisps so much that I made them every single weekend for months on end.  It may sound weird, but it was something I looked forward to.  I do tend to get stuck in ruts sometimes when I really like something (or more so I used to) and make it time and time again because I just crave it.  I would switch up the fruit at least and use what I had on hand or what was in season.  But by far, my favorite was anything involving berries.  Why crisp?  Well, simple, it is easier to make than pie, but just as good as far as I am concerned.  You still get the bubbling gooey fruit and crisp crumbly topping.  My Mom always made apple crumble pie, and so I have always had a bias towards putting crumble toppings on my pies those being my favorite over double crust pies.  She also made her crisps the same way, with oats always included in the topping.  So that has been my go to topping for crumble.  Just plain flour and sugar doesn’t do it for me, it has to have the substantial crunchy oats too!

    Marionberry Peach Crisp

    Well, I am no longer stuck in this rut.  I now branch out and make other desserts on the weekend.  I made some cobblers recently, and got to thinking, I have not made a crumble in a while.  So I remedied that and made one.  I had a busy weekend ahead with a road race and festival to go to Saturday, and family stuff and a dinner on Sunday, so I wanted something that didn’t take a lot of effort or hands on time to make, so I made that.  It did not take a lot of effort at all, and I could work on chores while it was cooking. You know how that goes, multi-tasking!  I am used to it working in a kitchen and making several things at once every day.  But you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to while you make yours, in fact, you know what would be nice, to go outdoors and sit in the sunshine while it bakes and read a book!  Just set a timer of course.

    Marionberry Peach Crisp 2

    I decided to make this a little different than the ones I have made in the past.  I kept the fruit part really simple, only four ingredients to allow the berries and peaches to shine through with their sweet flavors.  For the topping, in place of my usual coconut oil I used pecan butter.  This was a little bit of an experiment because in the past I had always thought that things like this needed oil to crisp up and brown, but what the heck, I was trying it.  Because I am trying to use more whole foods like nut butter in my recipes than just oil for the fat component.  I am happy to say it worked!  It browned to the level I wanted it to, and the pecan butter gave it a nice nutty flavor.  This crisp smelled amazing as I pulled it from the oven and tasted even better.  It was nice to sit and enjoy this and just relax for a little while.  If you have blackberries and peaches on hand, you know what to do now!

    Marionberry Peach Crisp 1

    Vegan Marionberry Peach Crisp

    Serves 4

    Fruit:

    • 1 1/2 cups organic peaches, sliced
    • 1 1/2 cups marionberries
    • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
    • 2 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour

     

    Topping:
    • 3 Tbsp gluten free all purpose flour
    • 3 Tbsp large flake dried unsweetened coconut
    • 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
    • 3 Tbsp coconut sugar
    • 1/8 tsp sea salt
    • 3 Tbsp raw pecan butter

     

    6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil a 6 inch wide pie plate or bowl with coconut oil. In a large bowl, toss together the fruit, maple syrup, and flour. Spoon into prepared bowl or pie plate, and cover with foil. Place plate on baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling.
    2. Meanwhile, when the fruit in the oven is almost at 45 min, to make the topping, combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with your hands scrunching together to form small clumps until there are no floury spots left.
    3. Remove baking fruit from oven. Top with the crumble topping, spreading it out evenly over the fruit. Bake for about 20 minutes until lightly brown and toasted on top (keep a close eye on it could burn very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm, and top with some ice cream or coconut vanilla whipped cream and…enjoy!

     



  • Vegan Red Berry Hibiscus Crisp

    Vegan Red Berry Hibiscus Crisp

     I have been really digging cranberries lately.  Maybe it is because I kind of miss tart summer berries, and when baked into desserts, they are kind of similar.  Nice and jammy, sweet and tart when combined with just the right ingredients.  Or maybe the fact that I am missing warmer weather when the sun is out until 8 o’clock at night.  It gets dark so early that by the time I get off work there is no sun. So I try and soak up as much as possible on the weekends.  Since I can’t have summer, I made a vegan crisp with flavors that reminded me of it, but with seasonal ingredients.  By seasonal, I mean cranberries and pecans.
     IMG_1774
    I did lace those cranberries with frozen raspberries, so I am calling this a red berry crisp.  I also added another unique flavor to it, hibiscus.  L.C. Finns makes a hibiscus extract that I have been dying to try using in something, and this was my chance.  I have paired hibiscus with berries before and loved it.
    IMG_1773
    For the topping, I had to include oats. I know not everyone includes them in their crisp, but I consider them an essential item in mine for crunch.  I also added pecans, because it just seemed right.  It smelled amazing while baking.  I could not wait to try it.  My patience paid off and I was rewarded with deliciousness.  I was a little selfish with this one.  I know it says two servings, but it was one Amy serving.  I had this all to myself, and it was wonderful.
    IMG_1777
    Vegan Red Berry Hibiscus Crisp

    Serves 2

    Fruit:
    6 oz frozen raspberries
    1 12 oz frozen cranberries
    2 Tbsp maple syrup
    1 Tbsp dried hibiscus flowers, rehydrated (soak in warm water for 30 minutes and drain)
    3 Tbsp all purpose gluten free flour
    2 tsp organic orange zest
    1 Tbsp orange juice
    2 tsp L.C. Finns pure hibiscus extract
    2 tsp L.C. Finns pure vanilla extract

    Topping:
    3 Tbsp all purpose gluten free flour
    2 Tbsp coconut sugar or maple sugar
    2 Tbsp melted coconut butter
    1/4 tsp sea salt
    1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats
    one 5 or 6 inch wide ovenproof bowl or pie plate

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees with the rack at the center position. Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the rack. Oil the pie plate or bowl with cooking spray. In a large bowl, toss together the berries, maple syrup, orange juice and zest, vanilla, hibiscus extract, hibiscus flowers and flour. Spoon into prepared bowls or pie plates, and cover with foil. Place plates on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until fruit is cooked through and bubbling. Meanwhile, to make the topping, combine the flour, sugar, coconut oil and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender, or 2 knives, cut butter into the flour until it is in pea sized chunks and clumping together. Add oats coconut, and with hands, squeeze the mixture together forming larger chunks as well as incorporating the oats and coconut until it is evenly distributed as you go. Place in the fridge until the crisps are ready to top. When the fruit has baked for 45 minutes, and is bubbling, remove from the oven and top with the crisp mixture. Place back in the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown and toasted (keep a close eye on it as coconut burns very quickly). Remove from oven and let cool until warm…enjoy!