I love crumbles. It is a delicious and easy to prepare dessert that can be reasonable to have from time to time. My favorite is this apple and cranberry crumble. To make it, you simply need to combine a homemade cranberry sauce, apples, and a light oatmeal topping.
Kidney nutrition
Crumbles can usually be divided into two parts: the filling and the topping. Often, fruity fillings contain a lot of sugar. As for the toppings, they also generally contain a lot of sugar as well as a lot of fat.
So to make a healthier apple and cranberry crumble, I made a filling that uses a reduced amount of sugar and a crust that doesn’t require an exaggerated amount of fat.
In this case, it was easy for me to create this filling since it’s based on my own cranberry sauce recipe. I reused it almost as is. Given the addition of apples, I was able to divide the required amount of maple syrup in half from the original recipe.
For the crust, I was inspired by one of the recipes found in the book Santé rénale – 21 jours de menus written by Roxanne Papineau. It’s in this book that I have found the best most nutritionally reasonable way to make a crumble topping.
Nutrition facts and claims
Here are the nutritional values and claims of this recipe.
For informational purposes only.
How to make a good apple and cranberry crumble
Different methodology
Cranberry crumble recipes often indicate to combine uncooked cranberries directly into the baking dish with the other ingredients.
These are good crumble recipes, but personally, I don’t like having whole cooked cranberries in a dessert. That’s why the first part of this recipe is to make a cranberry sauce instead.
Do pop the cranberries
It is important to burst the cranberries. When your cranberry sauce simmers, you should stir the mixture frequently and use a wooden spoon to burst the cranberries on the walls of the saucepan. This way you will be sure to get a good filling without whole cranberries.
Apple and cranberry crumble variations
Use another type of oats
If you prefer, you can use quick oats. It’s nutritionally similar and it will offer a different texture. However, you may need to adjust slightly the amounts of maple syrup and oil.
Substitute the orange juice
You can easily substitute orange juice with the same amount of lemon juice, lime juice or any other acidic fruit juice. This is an easy way to customize this recipe.
Use honey
If you prefer, or if you don’t have maple syrup, you can use honey. You simply need to use the same amount as indicated in the recipe. The taste will be excellent with either one.
Use berries and pear
Replacing some of the apple dice for berries is my favorite way to customize this recipe. You can use any type of berries. Personally, I like to replace half of the apple dice with the same volume of frozen blueberries.
Another suggestion from Roxanne Papineau is to substitute apple for pears. This is another easy and tasty way to modify this recipe.
Play with the spices
In this recipe, I simply use cinnamon. However, I invite you to have fun with your spices and add your personal touch.
The spices I suggest you to try are the same that I use in my apple pie spice blend. Do not hesitate to customize your apple and cranberry crumble according to your preferences!
More desserts
If you like this recipe, you might also like my other desserts:
Apple and Cranberry Crumble
INGREDIENTS
Garnish
- 4 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup or honey
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 cups apples diced
Topping
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix all the ingredients of the filling, except apples, in a saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to boil over high heat and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.While cooking, stir the mixture frequently with a wooden spoon. Use the same spoon to also squeeze and burst the cranberries on the walls of the saucepan from time to time to make sure that all the cranberries burst during simmering.
- Meanwhile, mix all the topping ingredients together in a bowl and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Once the sauce is ready, combine it with the apple dice in an 8"x 8'' square baking dish and distribute the filling evenly.
- Then spread the topping mix evenly over the entire surface of the filling.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool a little before serving.
NOTES
NUTRITION FACTS
For informational purposes only. Nutrition data is primarily calculated from the USDA National Database. Values may vary from accuracy of measurements, brands, nutritional data and more. All measurements are metric (1 cup = 250ml). Readers are encouraged to make their own calculations.
Marc-Andre has been a kidney warrior since 2007. Since that time, he has learned to create his own kidney friendly recipes to preserve as much as possible his kidney functions. Now he wants to share what he has learned to help other kidney patients find tasty kidney friendly recipes.
Roxanne Papineau, RD, is a registered dietitian specializing in nephrology with over 15 years of experience in the field. She writes articles and reviews the content published on this site to ensure that it meets the most up-to-date recommendations for people with kidney disease.
Excellent recipe! Not too much sugar!