I’ve been making this crumble recipe for several months now and had, in its early days, expected a bit of a rebellion.  I wanted to make one that was sugar free and had imagined a lack of sugar wasn’t going to go unnoticed.  As it turns out, this recipe goes down very well – no complaints so far.  It is incredibly easy and packed with much healthier ingredients than your average crumble.  Almonds, quinoa and buckwheat provide a protein hit, coconut oil is the perfect good fat and a sprinkling of sunflower seeds some extra nutritional crunch.  If you feel the need to break yourself in gently to a less sugary, sweet pudding then add some agave syrup or honey.

I’ve made a blackberry, pear and apple crumble here because that’s what I had but you can use any fruit you like.  I love using what’s available from the garden or the hedgerows.  I go mad picking blackberries in September and October because it’s really easy to freeze them  – scatter them onto trays (baking trays will do), put these in the freezer and when the berries are solid gather them up in to bags – that way it’s easy to pull out a handful for crumbles, pies, smoothies, porridge etc.

Turn the oven on to 180C.  Now prepare the fruit.  Obviously you need to peel and core the apples or pears or whatever it is you have.  Cut in to bitesize chunks and sprinkle the blackberries over.  You could, if you are using apples/pears add a couple of teaspoons of cinnamon – just sprinkled on top.  And if you feel the need for the agave give it a squirt now.  You’ll need to add some water – I think half a cup is about right – otherwise the crumble will be too dry.

Now for the crumble itself.  In a food processor grind the almonds.  You can, of course, use ready ground almonds, but I find grinding your own gives a bit more of a nubbly texture and the skins a bit of colour.  Now add the rest of the crumble ingredients, with the exception of the sunflower seeds.  Process briefly so that everything is combined and a bit like breadcrumbs.  Sprinkle over the top of the fruit and scatter sunflower seeds on top.

Bake in the oven for about half an hour – though I would start watching it from about 20-25 mins.  You want a golden top with hot and cooked fruit beneath.

Serve with coconut yoghurt or ice cream or even cream if you like that kind of thing.