A remake of my blackberry crumble from 8 months ago, has me realising that my baking skills improve with revision 
Hardly a baker by a very long shot, and also not much of a fan of sweet treats, I have come to realise during my 25 month lifestyle revision, that it is important to include dessert options, post the initial 15 or 30 day detox . So while, in the beginning, I avoided all things sweet, including most fruit, I have learned the importance of BALANCE, very much through my personal trial and error.
Reviewing the first blog attempt, I also see that aesthetically, this remake is more pleasing, noting that we initially eat with our eyes. Using the same tools, this remake definitely is more appealing to look at. Taste-wise, it’s is indeed an improved one, with definitive measures of cinnamon and the inclusion of vanilla powder. During my baking efforts, while almonds are pricey, I have experimented with making my own almond flour in two ways, one through using the reserved pulp from making almond milk, dehydrating it and blending it to flour consistency, and more recently, roasting the almonds briefly in the oven, and blending it to flour / powder consistency. Both work well and is generally a cost saving, based on the rising price of store-bought almond flour. While this may seem to be an effort, it is indeed a worthwhile exercise.
The almond flour and coconut oil blend provides a nutty taste, and while baking, makes the crumble crunchy. The aroma while this is baking, and, after removing from the oven, is a taste-bud tantalising one! The crumble may be used for apple crumble, using applesauce (click on the link for the recipe) or sliced apples drizzled with cinnamon and lemon juice, and, a few dried cranberries or raisins.
The ingredients and method remain the same, save for the inclusion of vanilla powder, and, I re-blog this crumble with love and pride and am thankful I used my spare time to put some effort into this revision
Ingredients
½ cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
1½ cups almond flour / finely ground roasted raw almonds
1 large egg
2 tblsp coconut oil, melted
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp vanilla powder / vanilla pod scrapings (you may try vanilla extract)
1 tblsp almond nut butter / date paste / maple syrup / raw honey to drizzle over the berry’s
Optional: 1-2 tblsp dessicated coconut added to the almond flour for additional crumble sweetness
To serve: 2 tblsp chilled coconut cream, whipped with ½-1 tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice and / or a touch of vanilla extract
Lemon zest or fresh chopped mint for garnish
Here’s How
- Preheat the oven to 180° Celsius.
- Add the berries into a small oven proof baking dish. If you wish, drizzle a tablespoon of almond nut butter, date paste, raw honey or maple syrup on top of the berries and keep aside.
Berries drizzled with almond nut butter
- In a small bowl mix together the egg, almond flour, cinnamon powder, vanilla powder, and coconut oil, and mix well with your hands to form a dough ball. The mixture will be really thick and clumpy at first but eventually blends well into a dough-like mixture.
- Using the finer side of a hand held grater, grate the dough, or by hand, crumble the mixture over the berries, then bake in a pre-heated oven for 35 minutes. While baking, the fruit soften and a berry sauce forms.
Prebaked crumble
Baked crumble
- Remove from the oven, allow the crumble to cool, prepare the coconut cream and add to the cooled crumble. Garnish with lemon zest and/or fresh mint leaves, and serve.
Enjoy
