Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cobbler

This Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Cobbler is made with tender, subtly spiced, caramel-flavoured apples under a soft, "buttery" topping. It's also refined sugar free and is the best comforting dessert.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten-free apple cobbler, gluten-free vegan cobbler, vegan apple cobbler

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 40

Servings

Calories 270kcal

Author Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the apples:

900 g (32 oz) apples , cored, peeled finely sliced
1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) coconut oil
120 g (¾ cup) coconut sugar * (or sub any other sweetener - see recipe notes)
1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) ground cinnamon to taste

For the topping:

60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
8 tablespoons (8 tablespoons) maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
Pinch (Pinch) salt to taste
1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) apple cider vinegar ** (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) ***
150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
2 heaped teaspoons (2 heaped teaspoons ) baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
160 ml (⅔ cups) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)

To sprinkle on top (optional):

2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) coconut sugar

Instructions

For the apples:

Place the apples, coconut oil, coconut sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a pan with a lid.
Leave to cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes**** until softened.
Taste and add extra coconut sugar or sweetener if necessary.
Place the cooked apple mixture in a baking dish - I used one measuring 26 cm (10 inch) by 18 cm (7 inch) and 7 cm (2 ½ inch) tall.

For the topping:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
Place all the ingredients for the topping in a bowl and mix well (no need to sift in the flour) - add the milk a little bit at a time until you get a fairly soft dough (you can also add a tiny splash more milk if it's looking too dry.
 Use two tablespoons to place a heaped tablespoon of the dough on top of the apples. 
Repeat for the rest of the mixture - you should be able to make around 12 soft balls. 
Sprinkle over coconut sugar, if desired.
 Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until browned and an inserted skewer into the topping comes out clean. 
Best enjoyed immediately!

Notes

*The amount of coconut sugar (or other sweetener) needed will depend on the type of apples you use as some are more sour or more naturally sweet than others. It's best to taste the cooked apples and add extra coconut sugar if necessary.

You can use normal sugar or some other sweetener (like maple syrup) instead of the coconut sugar, but if using a liquid sweetener I'd recommend adding 1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch) to the uncooked apple mixture to make sure the apples aren't too watery. Make sure to mix the cornflour into the apples completely to make sure the cornflour doesn't clump up.

**If you don’t want to use vinegar, replace it with 2 tablespoons lemon juice as you need something acidic to react with the alkali bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to make the dough fluffy.

***You can alternatively use almond flour.

****Cooking time will depend on the type of apples you use - some varieties will require a shorter cooking time and others will require a longer cooking time. I'd recommend checking at 10-minute intervals and cooking until apple pieces are tender enough to gently pierce with a fork.

You can use any type of apples you like. For best results, I recommend a crisp, slightly tart apple, or even a mixture of sweet and tart apples.
Cooking apples can be used too, but generally require a longer cooking time and require more coconut sugar (or other sweetener).

Nutrition