I was asked by Carusele to be a part of this fun Fall holiday baking campaign, sponsored by Splenda Stevia Canada. Although I have been compensated, all opinions are my own!
FALL BAKING IS HERE! Which also means Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Time to get cozy and light some candles and rustle up some casseroles and … make this apple crumble oatmeal cookie crust pie! Perfect for the holiday table, in my humble crumble opinion… hehe.
Warm crumbly streusel on top of thinly sliced sweet apples with cinnamon and lemon, with my favourite oatmeal cookie crust. It’s pretty much Fall in a pie pan. And… it’s also made without sugar! How, you say? Splenda® Stevia No Calorie Sweetener, I say! It baked up just like my usual pie, nicely sweetened and perfect for those who can’t have a lot of extra sugar in their diet. I also swapped out the butter for vegan butter to give it a try -and it turned out great! Also, stevia factoid for you: Splenda® Stevia gets its sweetness from the stevia leaf and is sourced from the sweeter, cleaner-tasting part of thestevia leaf—so no bitter aftertaste! Noice.
I went for organic gala apples for my pie – but you can choose any firm apple, and Fall is obviously the perfect time to find many local apple gems at farmer’s markets and grocery stores.
I like to thinly slice my apples, I think it looks prettier than chopped apples – I also leave the skin on for colour and fiber!
The filling is very simple: sliced apples, lemon juice, Splenda Stevia, cinnamon, cornstarch and a pinch of salt!
Pour the filling into the baked oatmeal cookie crust.
Streusel time! I love the soft tactile feeling of making streusel, hehe.
Spoon on ye old streusel!
I use a large spoon to help place the streusel onto the sides.
Streusel and apple dome! I try to pile it up nice and high as the apples will reduce in size when baked.
I am very proud of my fanning-of-apples technique for decorating! Make sure you brush lemon juice onto the decorative apple slices to keep them from going brown.
Yum! I also found sugar-free vanilla ice cream to top the pie! It’s fun to know that there’s options out there for all dessert lovers -even those who can’t have a lot of sugar in their diets!
Apple crumble oatmeal cookie crust pie
ingredients
For the oatmeal cookie crust
- 6 tablespoons Splenda Stevia
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) vegan butter , (such as Earth Balance) cut into 1/2 inch cubes, at room temperature
For the apple filling
- Six medium apples, cored and sliced thinly
- juice of half of one medium lemon, about 2 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup Splenda Stevia
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- pinch of salt
For the streusel
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons Splenda Stevia
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter, such as Earth Balance cut into 1/2 inch cubes, at room temperature
instructions
Make the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Stir together all the ingredients except the vegan butter in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle in the vegan butter pieces and toss to coat.
- Rub the vegan butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until incorporated and the mixture is chunky but not homogenous.
- Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie pan.
- Bake in the middle oven rack for 18-20 minutes.
- If the crust slumps a little, use a small spatula to pat it back into place. Let stand for 15 minutes to cool. Keep the oven on!
Make the filling
- Wash and thinly slice the apples. Place in a large bowl.
- Add the lemon juice, Splenda Stevia, cinnamon, cornstarch and salt and toss to coat the apples evenly.
- Pile the apple mixture into the slightly cooled oatmeal cookie crust and set aside.
Make the streusel
- Stir together the flour, Splenda Stevia and salt in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle in the vegan butter pieces and toss to coat.
- Using your hands, rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the butter is incorporated and the mixture is chunky but not homogenous.
- Using a large spoon, carefully sprinkle streusel mixture onto the top of the pie. Using the spoon, press the mixture onto the sides of the pie, using your hands to press in if needed.
- Place the pie on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the filling is soft and bubbly and the topping has browned. You can very carefully brown the top of the pie for a minute or two on the Broil setting, but be very careful your pie doesn’t burn!
- Let pie cool to room temperature. Serve with your favourite sugar free ice cream or 0% greek yogurt, or enjoy on its own!
gyoza*girl
mmmmm looks so yummy!
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
Thank you!! ^__^
Elizabeth
This is so pretty! It’s the perfect time of year for crumbles and pies. Love how you’ve combined both!
Lyndsay // Coco Cake Land
Thanks Elizabeth!!