A warm apple crumble on a lazy Sunday afternoon is hard to beat.
It is one of those comforting puddings that I often revisit in autumn when apples are at their best.
Of course, I wouldn't be cooking it unless it could somehow be filed under the "good for you" category.
This not so naughty apple crumble uses no sugar, relying instead on the natural sweetness of apples and some cinnamon for the base.
Cinnamon is a great spice when it comes blood sugar control. It doesn't just improve cellular absorption of sugar (this is a good thing) but it also tricks your brain into thinking you are eating a much sweeter food than you actually are.
The top, or the most important part of the crumble, is a fusion of high fibre oats, crunchy pecans or almonds, coconut oil and honey. A dollop or two of vanilla cashew cream finishes this comforting pudding.
Give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Ingredients - Serves 4
4 apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of oats
1/2 a cup of pecans or almonds, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons each of honey and coconut oil

For the vanilla cashew cream:
1 cup of cashews, soaked overnight, drained
1 cup of water
4 Medjool dates
10 drops of vanilla extract

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
To make the base of the apple crumble, put the apple pieces in a small pan with a teaspoon of cinnamon and cook over a medium heat until it is just starting to soften.
Spread the mixture out in a small crumble pan or ovenproof dish.
Melt the coconut oil in another pan, add the honey, oats and nuts and stir well to combine. Put the oaty mixture over the apples.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
To make the cashew cream, put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Divide the crumble mixture between 4 bowls and serve topped with a couple of dollops of vanilla cashew cream.