Table of Contents
Our Love for Apple Cobbler
For the last 3+ years, apple cobbler has been one of our favorite desserts to make. Not only does it taste amazing with little effort, but it’s also one that has a lot of memories attached to it. If you haven’t already read Peter’s story about this (which you should), then all you need to know is that he baked Isabelle a 100% allergy-free apple cobbler from scratch (which is difficult with all of Isabelle’s allergies), and then next thing you know we were together.
Our gluten-free and vegan apple cobbler served with vegan ice cream.
We’re not saying that this dessert will make a celiac fall in love with you… but it can’t hurt.
This might not be the most conventional Valentine’s Day dessert but for us, it’s kind of a no-brainer. We’ve made this apple cobbler countless times with each other, for each other, and for larger groups. We’ve played around with the recipe a few times, but we’ve never made a bad apple cobbler.
This recipe wasn’t originally gluten-free or vegan, but ever since the first time that Peter made it, it has been.
The Easiest Dessert to Make
What makes this apple cobbler so easy to make is that it’s more like cooking than baking. That is, if you don’t have the exact measurements right or you change around the ingredients a little, it’ll still turn out well. It also helps that this recipe doesn’t need to hold together the same way that cakes, cookies, or pastries would, so making this recipe gluten-free really isn’t an added challenge.
This apple cobbler can also be reheated multiple times. We often re-bake our leftover cobbler 2-3 times without it burning or tasting overdone.
Variations on this Recipe
Like we said, this recipe wasn’t originally gluten-free or vegan. Peter used to make this apple cobbler with apple pie filling (like any of these) and cake mix. We have done the gluten-free cake mix before (like this or this), and we still occasionally do so. But because of Isabelle’s allergies to corn and soy, we often just make the topping ourselves.
You can also make this recipe using different fillings. Say that apples aren’t really your thing or they aren’t in season, then try berries. We’ve done this, and it’s great. Apples tend to be easier to keep reheating (and apple cobbler is a staple in our relationship), but there are many, many options with this recipe.
A Dessert that Doesn’t Taste Gluten-Free (or Vegan)
If you saw Isabelle’s most recent “diary of a celiac” post, then you’ll know that gluten-free and vegan baking presents extra challenges. Not only are these desserts harder to make, but they almost never taste as good, despite the effort that they take.
Thankfully, this apple cobbler is an exception to that rule. When Peter first made it, our co-workers were surprised that it somehow was 100% Isabelle-friendly. Every time we’ve made it for friends or family since then—especially if they’re not used to gluten-free or vegan desserts that taste so good—then they’re usually surprised that it’s allergy-friendly.
How to Make Vegan & Gluten-Free Apple Cobbler
Note: This recipe is scaled to fit a 9″x13″ cake pan.
Ingredients
- 1/2-1 cup Vegan butter (here are some options)
- 4-6 Granny Smith apples (depending on the size of the apple)
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour
- 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
- 1 tbsp gluten-free starch (potato, tapioca, or rice)
- 1 cup apple juice
- 3 tbsp honey or agave
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tbsp allspice
- 1/2 tbsp nutmeg
Directions
- Heat your oven to 350°F.
- Grease your baking sheet with 1-2 tbsp. vegan butter, or until evenly coated.
- Wash, core, and peel your apples. Slice them into 1/8″ thin pieces. They should be thin wedges, rather than minced apples.
- The filling: In a large bowl, put in the apple slices, apple juice, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, gluten-free starch, honey/agave, and half of each of your spices (i.e. 1/2 tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 tbsp allspice, and 1/4 tbsp. nutmeg). Mix these together and set aside.
- The topping: In a separate bowl, mix the gluten-free flour, gluten-free oats, and remaining brown sugar together. You can add the additional spices here or put them on top at the end. If you like more of the spices, then do both.
- Pour apple cobbler filling in your baking pan. Make sure that the mixture is relatively evenly spread in the pan.
- Evenly disperse your topping over the apple cobbler filling. None of the apple should show through the top. If needed, mix more topping.
- Once the topping is on the cobbler, dollop your vegan butter on top. It will not perfectly cover the top at this point, but be generous with the amount you use here.
- If you have spices remaining or wish to add more, then sprinkle these on top of your cobbler. You can also add more brown sugar if you want to.
- Bake your cobbler for 20 minutes.
- Take the apple cobbler out and look for “dry spots.” Add more vegan butter where the topping looks dry (if needed).
- Bake the cobbler for another 20-30 minutes, or until the top bubbles.
- Serve warm alone or with ice cream.