As a kid, we would get a big flat of strawberries, and I would always eat so many that my stomach would hurt. To this day, I still do that. Strawberries are hands down one of my favorite fruits. They are sweet, have a great texture, and can be highly versatile. From baked goods to garnishes, cocktails, and even salads, strawberries are one of my fridge staples come season.
One year, in particular, I was in a muffin phase, and I felt like trying to bake a ton of recipes with strawberries and learned a lot of crucial tips for baking strawberries. I feel like strawberries are an underrated fruit when baking them. You typically see strawberries baked into a crumble or a scone but rarely into a cake-like base. I found that adding them into a crumble is one of the easiest ways to use strawberries.
What to know about baking with strawberries:
Strawberries retain a lot of water, which is why they are so deliciously sweet when they are ripe; when they bake, the moisture leaks out of the fruit, which is why they tend to be so tasty when used in a crumble or a cobbler. The crumble topping is a dryer topping that holds the shape and texture while the strawberries release sugars and liquid during baking. Strawberries also release water when you add sugar to the mixture.
Strawberry season is here!
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Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free and Vegan Strawberry Crumble
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 3 Ramekins 1x
- Category: sugar-free
- Method: baking
Description
The easiest dessert just in time for summer! This season, sugar-free, gluten-free, and vegan strawberries crumble a perfect way to enjoy ripe strawberries.
Ingredients
Filling
- 4–5 cups of sliced strawberries
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon of maple syrup (if your strawberries aren’t as sweet increase 1–2 teaspoons)
- pinch of salt
Topping
- 3 tablespoons of vegan butter
- 4 tablespoons of old fashioned oats
- pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
- 4 1/2 tablespoons of gluten-free flour
- dash of ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease your 3 ramekins with vegan butter
- In a bowl combine the filling ingredients and gently toss to coat the berries
- Add enough berries to each ramekin that the form little piles above the edge of the baking dish
- In a separate bowl, using a fork or your fingers combine the topping ingredients to form a rough crumble
- Top the ramekins with about 1/3 cups of crumble
- Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until the strawberries are soft and oozing or the crumble is golden brown
- Enjoy with vegan ice cream or plain
Keywords: strawberry crumble, gluten-free strawberry crumble
What makes a good crumble?
A good crumble has balance. Using strawberries and only strawberries as the base to the crumble allows the fruit flavor to shine through and release the flavor from the sugars into the crumble base. The crumble topping gives the dessert structure. Cobbler toppings are more of a biscuit, more tender in texture, whereas a crumble has the crumble of an oatmeal cookie and the nutty flavors of the oatmeal. Oatmeal gives the topping an excellent level of taste and structure for the juices of the strawberries to absorb into.
Top with Ice Cream + Enjoy!
Nothing says summer like fresh fruit and ice cream. My go-to topping for a strawberry crumbles a cold scoop of vanilla ice cream. I like to scoop the ice cream onto the crumble when it is still a little warm, allowing it to melt slightly into the topping. The flavors melt together to create another level of sweet, crunchy, soft and nutty flavor combination.
Tag me if you make it!
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