An apple crumble that's low GI (lower and slower release sugar), high protein and just delicious!

Ever wondered how to make a really healthy apple crumble?

No?

Well I can understand that! An apple crumble can be just a delicious treat! But you can have your crumble and eat it! It really is possible to have a healthy one that's still delicious!

We're right in the middle of Apple season. Hurray! You can use any apples for this crumble; desert apples might stay as chunks but cooking apples cook down to create that yummy melting purée at the bottom of your crumble; even nicer if the fruit bubbles up a bit around the crumble to create a delicious caramel edge.

Pears can be a delicious addition too if you have any in the fruit bowl.

The key to how this stays ticking so many healthy boxes are these swaps:

1. For the topping swap wheat flour for barley flakes and rye flour, and add lots of chopped almonds.
2. Swap all or some of the butter for olive oil! I know! but try it! it actually works! If you chose to use more flour and less barley flakes then you'll need more oil or butter.
3. I only use a tiny bit of sugar in the topping and add none to the fruit. You could try leaving this out altogether to be honest; the apples are really sweet and I found that the less sugar I use the less I need. It's like reducing salt if you've tried that already. Once you add less less you find you need less and often bought food tastes too salty or too sweet.
4. Use lots of fruit. I love a really thick layer of cooked apple in my crumble.

Ingredients

• 10 cooking apples or a mix of apples and pears.
• 4 ounces of Barley flakes
• 4 ounces of rye flour
• 4 ounces of whole skin on almonds roughly chopped
• A pinch of salt
• 2 ounces of extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 or 2 ounces of muscovado sugar; more if you like your crumble sweet less if you're already used to food being less sweet.

Method

Turn the oven on to 180°C

1. Combine the barley flakes, rye flour and salt. If you like a more familiar crumble you could swap the barley flakes for whole wheat flour. Using flakes makes for a looser topping.
2. Drizzle in the olive oil while stirring through the flour and oats until it looks combined. Again if you like a more familiar crumble rub 2 ounces of butter into the dry ingredients before adding the olive oil. using just flour takes more fat but makes a chewier topping.
3. Stir in the chopped almonds (leave some big pieces) and sugar.
4. Peel and core the fruit and chop it into large pieces. If you're using dessert apples make the chunks a bit smaller. Scoop the chopped fruit into a deep, oven proof dish to fill about 2/3 of the way up the sides.
5. Pour the crumble topping on top of the fruit, pop the dish holding the complete crumble into the oven and cook for 45 minutes. check after 30 minutes. If the topping is beginning to brown, cover with tin foil or the lid of your dish, reduce the temperature to 140°C and cook for the last 15 minutes.

Let me know what you think! The more I cook this the more I love the crunchy almonds and deep layer of apple! Perfect for an Autumn treat!