Cinnamon Apple & Coconut Crisp Dessert Recipe

I don’t make nearly enough desserts. I’ve come to this conclusion recently. I’ve always been the type of person who only eats what I need to survive. Sure, I like things to taste good, but I rarely embellish. What I need to realize is that desserts are a simple pleasure in life and life should be pleasurable. As I was sitting down the other day, enjoying the coconut crisp I’ll share with you below, I realized the err of my ways.

The truth of the matter is that desserts don’t need to be unhealthy. Many tasty dishes are filled with fresh fruit. That’s a dessert right there. Others use coconut cream as a substitute for dairy cream. Coconut cream is much better for you than its dairy counterpart. The natural sweetness in many ripe fruits can virtually eliminate the need for added sugars and as a matter of fact, you may even walk away from eating a dessert a better person than you were before. Yes, I see many more recipes like this in my future.

The Recipe

The recipe I’d like to share with you today comes from a few different sources, so I can’t give credit to just one. It’s also something that should receive no guilt. It’s all good. It’s tasty, the texture is great and it’s really simple to put together. The best part of this recipe is that it mixes very well with the whipped topping that I’ll include the recipe for in this post as well.

If you enjoy traditional apple crisp, you may also enjoy this healthy twist on that recipe. Instead of using many of the more unhealthy ingredients, we used some that are just fine for many different types of diets. Coconut is a big player here, so you’ll definitely need to like coconut.

Ingredients

Serves: 6

For the Crisp

1 1/2 Pounds Granny Smith Apples, Cored and Thinly Sliced
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1/3 Cup Coconut Flour
1/4 Cup Coconut Butter
1/4 Cup Melted Coconut Oil
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For the Whipped Topping

1 15 Ounce Can Coconut Milk, Refrigerated
1 Tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup

Step-by-Step Instructions

If you have many more people who you’d like to serve this to or if you plan on preparing this dessert for a party, please feel free to double up on the ingredients. Nothing special need to happen to anything.

Pre-Heat the Oven

Arrange your oven racks so one of them is in the center position. Then, warm the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the Apples

In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice, maple syrup and the ground cinnamon. Be sure all of the apple slices are coated with the mixture.

Next, evenly spread the apples in an 8 inch by 13 inch baking dish.

Prepare the Coconut Mixture

In a large bowl, add the shredded coconut, coconut flour, coconut butter, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Mix these ingredients thoroughly until everything comes together.

Spread Coconut Over Apples

When ready, spread the coconut mixture over the sliced apples in the baking dish.

Bake the Ingredients

Place the baking dish on the center oven rack and allow to bake for approximately 35 minutes or until the coconut begins to brown and the apples bubble. When that happens, remove the dish from the oven.

After the apples and coconut have cooled for a few minutes, you can scoop the mixture out of the baking dish with a large spoon and divide it between some bowls.

Prepare the Whipped Topping

This is very easy to do, but unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of it. Trust me though, follow these simple instructions and you’ll love it.

While the apples and coconut are baking, open the 15 ounce can of chilled coconut milk. Carefully separate the firm white cream from the loose clearish liquid. Discard the liquid and place the cream into the bowl of a stand mixer. Then, add the 1 tablespoon of maple syrup to the cream and run the mixer on medium for a few minutes until the cream is whipped. The end result should be very firm. Once completed, you can scoop the contents of the bowl out and store it in the refrigerator for a few days. It keeps very well. Or, if you’re eating this dessert immediately, you can scoop the topping out of the bowl and add it to the crisp.

The Final Coconut Apple Crisp

I truly enjoyed this dessert. I’m a big fan of coconut, so this was right up my ally. I also really love whipped coconut cream, so everything was even better with that on top. Enjoy and thanks for reading!