Paleo Dutch Apple Pie

Apple pie is my most favorite pie….if I had to choose one. I used to make whiskey apple pies with a lattice top sprinkled with a whiskey, butter, turbinado sugar concoction. It was just perfect for cold, stormy winter nights in Portland.

Since then, it’s been a challenge to make a better quality apple pie and I have found one that is amazing! The streusel topping gives that nutty crunch you need with the softened cinnamon-y apples and pears. This was the first to go when it was placed next to a chocolate, coconut and macadamia nut tart!

Ingredients

FILLING

5 baking apples or pears! (like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Anjou pears (red or green, Bosc, Barletts)

• **I used a combination of 3 apples and 2 pears. If you like more pears, then by all means, use more pears!**

½ cup ghee or grass-fed butter

1½ tbsp arrowroot starch

½ cup Grade B maple syrup

½ cup coconut sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

A pinch of Himalayan sea salt

¼-1/2 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

STREUSEL TOPPING

½ cup almonds, chopped

½ cup walnuts, chopped

• Inner chef moment:
  • use a different combination of nuts depending on your preference, or you can use one cup of the same nut!
  • You can either finely chop or coarsely chop the nuts depending on how you like it! Do you want more texture? Then coarsely chop the nuts.

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tbsp coconut sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 pinch sea salt

2 tbsp honey (room temperature)

CRUST

2 cups blanched almond flour (or non blanched almond meal)

¼ tsp sea salt

2 tbsp coconut oil (or ghee or grass fed butter)

1 large egg

Directions

CRUST: (this can be mixed by hand or in a food processor)

1. Mix almond flour/meal and salt together in a medium bowl.

2. Add coconut oil/butter and egg until a ball of dough starts to form.

3. Press dough in a 9 inch pie pan (on the bottom and up the sides)

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

5. Remove from oven and set aside. 

FILLING:

*Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees*

1. Peel apples and cut into wedges.

2. Cut each apple wedge into 3 chunks.

3. Combine all filling ingredients into a medium saucepan.

4. Heat over medium-high until mixture boils, stirring occasionally.

5. Continue to boil about 5 minutes, or until mixture thickens and coats a wooden spoon.

6. Remove from heat and pour into the prepared pie crust.

7. Adjust the filling so it fills the pie crust evenly, all the way to the edges.

8. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes.

9. While the pie is baking, prepare the streusel topping.

STREUSEL TOPPING:

1. Combine all streusel ingredients except honey in a large bowl.

2. Mix with your clean hands or a fork until well combined.

3. Add honey.

• **The best way to do this is with your hands. I found that it incorporates and distributes the honey much better! And you’ll be using your hands to put the streusel on top of the pie anyway!**

PIE ASSEMBLY:

1. After 10 minutes, remove the pie from the oven and top with the streusel, completely covering the apples.

2. Reduce the oven temp to 350°F and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes.

3. Remove pie from oven and cool on a wire rack.

4. Serve warm for best flavor.

5. Top with a salted caramel sauce and homemade coconut whip cream!

**Be prepared that when you cut into this, it might not retain a “pie slice” shape and turn more into a crumble….an absolutely delicious apple and pear crumble that is! Enjoy!**