November has arrived! It’s been pleasantly cool here in Texas and I’ve been in the mood to do some Fall baking, so I decided to put together an Apple Crumble. This is one of my go-to recipes because it’s so quick and simple, it really has to be one of the easiest things that you can bake from scratch. This time I did things a little bit differently and I baked these apple crumbles in mason jars…

I sort of have a thing for making single-serving desserts in mason jars (you can check out my Mason Jar Cheesecakes here). I love mason jar desserts because they are conveniently pre-portioned, they’re baked and served in the same dish, and you can just pop the lids on for easy refrigeration (or freezing!). Plus, they’re pretty cute. I use half pint mason jars, you can find them here.

Bonus: this recipe is allergen free, so it’s particularly perfect for holiday gatherings and anyone avoiding gluten, dairy, or nuts.  
Mini Mason Jar Apple Crumbles (GF + DF)                         6 jars/servings 

crumble topping:

• 4 tbsp earth balance spread (melted)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats*
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

apple filling:

• 4-5 apples** (peeled, cored, and cut into small squares)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place 6 jars onto a baking sheet, so that you can easily transfer them into and out of the oven.
2. In a medium bowl, combine and mix crumble topping ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, combine and mix apple filling ingredients. Take several tablespoons of the crumble topping and mix it into the apple filling (a little Joy the Baker trick – this helps the apple juices thicken).
4. Use apple filling to fill jars so that they are nearly full (the apples will settle as they cook). Top each jar with crumble mixture.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until apple mixture is bubbly and the topping has lightly browned. Let jars cool before removing them from the baking sheet.

Serve warm. Top jars with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you’d like! Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

*Not all oats are gluten free (because of factory storage and processing practices). Check the label to make sure that they are certified GF, if this is important to you.

**I like using Fuji or Honeycrisp apples to make this a cinnamon-y sweet dessert. Use Granny Smith apples for a tart twist (especially good if you’ll be serving it with ice cream).