Strawberry season is here, and what better way to celebrate than by going to your local farm to pick-your-own! If you’ve never done this before, you really should. Whenever we go, I cannot resist sampling some as I’m picking—they are so sweet and juicy! It always amazes me how different they taste from store-bought strawberries. When the season is over I dream about how perfect they tasted . . . and the next year’s trip.
What do you make with a huge bucket of these beauties? This year, I chose a strawberry crisp. Crisps are so simple and easy to make; they pretty much only require assembly. This strawberry crisp comes out of the oven juicy and bursting with flavor. It’s delicious on its own, but serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to take this dessert to the next level.
This crisp features oats and almond flour, making this dessert 100% gluten free (look for certified gluten-free oats). Instead of standard white sugar, I use monkfruit sweetener here. I recently discovered it and was blown away by the taste. Sugar substitutes often have a weird aftertaste, but not this one. Lakanto “Classic” is a substitute for granulated (or coconut) sugar and “Golden” stands in for brown sugar. If you don’t know what monkfruit is, check out the Lakanto website.
Tip: If you choose to go with the granulated or coconut sugar for this recipe you will want to increase the amount because monkfruit is sweeter therefore I needed less. The recipe below includes the amount of coconut or granulated sugar you will need.
Ingredients:
Butter or non-stick cooking spray, for greasing your pan
For Strawberries:
- 5 cups sliced strawberries
- 3 tbsp Lakanto Classic Monkfruit Sweetener (⅓ cup if using coconut sugar)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, or arrowroot powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla
For Topping:
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3 tbsp Lakanto Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (⅓ cup if using coconut sugar)
- ⅓ cup crushed almonds
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Using butter or non-stick cooking spray, lightly grease a cast-iron skillet or 9-by-13-inch pan.
- Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine strawberries, Classic monkfruit sweetener, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla. Toss gently and let sit while you make the topping.
- Make the topping: In a separate bowl, combine oats, almond flour, monkfruit sweetener, cinnamon, and salt. Add the maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. Mix until well combined and sticky.
- Pour strawberry filling into your pan and sprinkle the topping evenly over the top.
- Bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- Let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving with ice cream, or whipped coconut cream.
