If you love chocolate and cherries like I do, check out these chocolate cherry macaroons for a lighter Christmas sweet treat. It’s cherry time! I love the summer months when all sorts of fruit are available.
For today’s dessert recipe, we’ll be making this delicious cherry crumble that fits right into a Paleo or gluten-free diet plan.
Making baked goods when you are trying to follow a clean eating plan can be a challenge. There are several Paleo baking tips that make the job easier though. I am putting many of them to use in this cherry crumble recipe.
Fruit crumbles are some of my favorite summertime desserts. See this fresh fig and blueberry crumble for another tasty option.
If you love cherries like I do, check out these chocolate cherry macaroons for another light sweet treat idea.
Making a Paleo Cherry Crumble
Paleo baked goods can have a tendency to be a bit dry. Even though almond flour and coconut flour work well to substitute for normal wheat flour, they still tend to use up the available moisture quickly.
Making sure that you use very ripe cherries so they will have lots of juice in them will go a long way toward making this cherry crumble a more moist dessert.
Be sure to pit the cherries before you use them, or you’ll have a lot more crunch than you bargained for! I didn’t have a cherry pitter, so I used a paper clip for the job!
Mix together the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Coconut milk will add some moisture and arrowroot powder is used in place of corn starch to thicken the liquid.
I used just a small amount of maple syrup to keep the sugar load and calories down.
The filling mixture gets placed in a large oven proof casserole. 
The crumble topping is easy to make. It’s made the same way as any streusel topping is, except that I used coconut flour and blanched almond flour in place of white flour, and clarified butter in place of normal butter to keep it dairy-free.
A small amount of granulated maple sugar adds some sweetness. A bit of water helps to keep the coconut flour from drawing out too much moisture.
Spray with coconut oil spray to help it to brown and bake for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven.
Making the whipped coconut cream.
Whipped cream is a no-no on a Paleo or dairy free diet. So, let’s make some whipped coconut cream instead.
There are a couple of ways to do this. You can start with a can of chilled coconut cream or if you can’t find this at the store, you can put a can of coconut milk in the fridge for 24 hours before whipping. Some tips:
- chill your beaters and bowl.
- Remove only the coconut cream solids from the can and use the coconut water for another time
- Sweeten with coconut sugar, granulated maple sugar or stevia leaf extract
Beat for about 7 minutes until stiff peaks form.
Whipped coconut cream with this sweet cherry crumble. What a perfect summer time dessert!
Time to take a bite!
This cherry crumble is tart/sweet with a crunchy topping. The whipped coconut cream adds a nice silky and decadent touch to this lovely dessert.
Cherry Cobbler - Paleo - Dairy Free - Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the filling
- 3 cups ripe cherries, pitted and sliced be sure to keep the juices that form when you pit them
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (more or less depending on the tartness of the cherries)
- 1/3 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 tbsp clarified butter
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp granulated maple sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- Pinch of pink sea salt
- Coconut oil spray
For the whipped coconut cream
- A can of full fat coconut cream chilled, or coconut milk refrigerated over night
- 2 tbsp granulated maple sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)