Last Updated on November 24, 2016
Desserts can be a little tricky when you have food restrictions. Back in the day, I used to LOVE a good apple (or cherry) pie with a rich, flaky crust. Apple crisp was another favorite of mine (I heart all things oatmeal). Unfortunately, since going AIP, I haven’t had success coming up with a typical apple pie or crust recipe.
ENTER – TIGERNUTS. Tigernuts are not actually a nut, but a tuber (think sweet potatoes) and have a wonderful nutty, oatmeal-y taste and texture. I’ve been working on this topping (or base) for awhile now and am very happy with it. So happy, in fact, that I’m going to use it to stuff into sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving this week for an AIP version of Streusel Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.
These Apple Pie Pots are completely autoimmune-friendly and are a layered apple crisp of sorts. I have served them to family and friends – some with dietary restrictions and some without – and they have received rave reviews.
I recommend using two different types of apples when making this filling. My preference is half granny smith and half gala or fuji. The logic is to use an apple that will keep it’s shape while being a tad on the tart side and then balance it out with a sweeter apple that will break down and create a nice, moist filling. The use of maple syrup to sweeten the filling is completely optional. I’ve found that sometimes the apples are sweet enough on their own, and sometimes they need a little help. So sweeten at your discretion.
The whipped “cream” is very simple to make. I’m currently working on perfecting my own recipe, but the Coconut Whipped Cream from Danielle Walker would be delicious. I layer these beauties in 8 oz. jelly jars.
I hope these Apple Pie Pots will find a place on your holiday table – or any day table for that matter. Shared on Paleo AIP Recipe Roundtable and Allergy Free Thursday.
- FILLING:
- 10 cups chopped, peeled apples (I use a mix of granny smith and fuji or gala - about 10 large apples)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (optional - depends on how sweet apples are)
- CRUST:
- 8 Medjool dates, soaked in hot water if dry
- ¾ cup tigernut flour
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (I use Himalayan pink)
- ¾ cup sliced tigernuts
- ½ cup coconut oil
- FOR THE FILLING:
Heat a large saute pan with straight sides or a dutch oven on medium low. When hot, add 2 tablespoons coconut oil and swirl in pan. - Add apples to pan and sprinkle the ground ginger, cinnamon and salt on top. Stir well.
- Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes.
- Uncover the pan and continue cooking until apples are tender.
- Taste and determine if the apple filling needs to be sweeter. If so, add up to 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
- FOR THE CRUST:
Preheat oven to 300F. Remove the pits from the dates and coarsely chop. Add dates, tigernut flour, coconut flour, cinnamon and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until dates are small in size and mixture looks uniform. - Add tigernut flakes and pulse again until flakes are smaller in size.
- Add melted coconut oil and pulse. Mixture will come together and get a little clumpy.
- Transfer mixture to an 8x8 glass pan (or smaller rectangular pan works too). You do not want mixture to be in too thin of a layer or it will burn.
- Bake for 10 minutes then stir.
- Bake another 5-10 minutes, keeping watch so it doesn't burn or dry out.
- TO ASSEMBLE:
Place about 2-3 tablespoons of crust in the bottom of each jar. - Spoon apple mixture on top of crust.
- Add another layer of the crust and finish with the apple filling.
- Top with whipped "cream" and serve.
