Gruffalo Crumble

When we first opened in 2014, ‘The Gruffalo‘, by Julia Donaldson quickly became a beloved book in both of our classrooms. Somewhere along the way, Lizzy’s weekly Friday afternoon snack, ‘Fruit Crumble’ became known as ‘GRUFFALO CRUMBLE’.

This recipe is in two steps. First – make your Gruffalo Granola. Once made, you’ll be set to make the easiest fruit crumble imaginable! We love to serve this snack with a dollop of yogurt and fresh fruit tea. This is a great snack to make on chilly autumn afternoons when Nova Scotia apples are in season.

Granola

2 c. Steel Cut or Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (not instant)

1 c. Mixed Nuts (almonds, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, etc.)

1 c. Unsweetened, Shredded Coconut

1 t Ground Cinnamon

3 – 5T Maple Syrup or Honey

5T Olive Oil

1 1/2c. Dried Fruit (raisins, cranberries, chopped apricots)

1/4 c. Mixed Seeds (flax, poppy, sesame, pumpkin, chia – whichever you have available)

Preheat oven to 350F. Place rolled oats, seeds, coconut and cinnamon (not dried fruit) on a sheet pan. Stir well and smooth out. Drizzle maple syrup and olive oil, and stir again.

Cook for 20-30 minutes–stirring every five minutes (take granola out of the oven, stir completely with a wooden spoon, and place back in). Once golden, remove it from the oven, mix in dried fruit and let cool.

Let cool completely before storing. Will last up to two weeks in an airtight container.

Crumble 6-7 peeled and chopped apples, enough to generously fill your baking dish. Favourites are Cortland, Honeycrisp or Gala apples.

½ Lemon, juiced

1t Arrowroot or Cornstarch Powder

2 t Cinnamon Powder

1T Chia Seeds, optional

1t Coconut Oil, for greasing

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease the baking dish with coconut oil. Place apples in dish and sprinkle lemon juice, cinnamon, arrowroot powder and chia seeds throughout. Mix with a large spoon.

*If you like your crumble on the sweeter side, add 1T of cane sugar or maple syrup now*

Take 2 cups of Gruffalo Granola, and sprinkle all along the top. Bake for 40-60 minutes, until the fruit is tender. If the granola begins to darken too early, loosely mix with fruit to keep from burning.

Substitution: use only 3-4 apples, and substitute the rest with pears, mangos, or mixed berries! In the case of a nut allergy, simply omit the 1 c of Mixed Nuts and increase the amount of seeds and/or dried fruit.

Recipe credit: Granola – Jamie Oliver, Jamie’s Food Revolution