Strawberry Crumble with Teff-Oat Crust

It's the time of year for cobblers, crisps and crumbles and other such oven-baked fruit desserts with luscious, luscious toppings. And there's really no need for those of us with sugar issues to avoid these wonderful creations.

Apples are certainly a traditional fruit for these, but I choose lower glycemic index strawberries for this crumble, and a non-wheat topping. The result: a delicious dessert that no one could tell wasn't packed with brown sugar!


Strawberry Crumble with Teff-Oat Crust
(crust may also be used as a pie crust; see note below)
serves 8-10

about 4 cups frozen strawberries, or enough to cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan
1/4 cup sugar or substitute*

2 cups whole-grain teff flour
1/2 cup oat bran cereal
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup sugar or substitute*
several scrapes nutmeg
pinch salt
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup milk

In a lightly buttered 9x13 pan, place frozen strawberries and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute.

In a separate bowl, combine teff flour, oat bran cereal, oats, sugar or substitute, nutmeg and salt. Mix to combine. Using hands, rub in softened butter. Stir in milk just until combined.

Drop teff mixture over strawberries and bake at 350*F for 30 minutes, or until topping browns lightly and strawberry liquid bubbles visibly. Cool; serve warm, at room temperature or cold, as desired.

NOTE: Teff mixture may also be used as a pie crust by pressing into a pie plate and pricking all over with a fork; bake at 350*F for 10 minutes; cool thoroughly before filling. I used this recipe for a pumpkin pie with great results, though it isn't sturdy enough for a decorative crust. That suited me fine, though--I just needed a container for my delicious pie.

*I used Whey Low Type D granular

Oatmeal, Raisin and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have this box of oat bran flour hanging around that I've been looking for more uses for... not to mention my constant quest for sugar-free sweets!

A couple of weeks ago Mr.W and I were visiting our local Barnes & Noble where I can most often be found either in the cookbook section or in the attached coffee shop reading them. I happened to grab the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. My grandmother had a paper-back copy years ago when I was learning how to cook, and I read it cover-to-cover several times. But back then I wasn't really interested in anything that contained something called bran. G'ma never would buy unusual ingredients anyway. But I found that recipe and copied it down.

Since then I've been thinking about the recipe. Maybe it could be morphed with my memories of a yummy little oatmeal-raisin-chocolate chip cookie that my mother used to make... way back before she was diagnosed, when she would make cookies with us.

Thus a new cookie is born. Using Fannie Farmer's recipe as a mere guide, I developed these wheat- and sugar-free cookies that taste just like the real thing. I even gobbled up at least two cookies' worth of uncooked dough. Mmm... so good. And as always, this could also be made with real sugar--I'd go with light brown sugar, myself.

Again, apologies for the poor photo quality. Mr.W has our digi cam with him on his trip... so I'm stuck with my cell phone camera.


Oatmeal, Raisin and Chocolate Chip Cookies (Wheat Free)
yield: 2 dozen small cookies

1/4 cup butter or margarine, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar substitute (to equal the sweetness of sugar; I used granulated Whey Low, but you could also use Splenda)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup oat bran flour
1/2 cup regular-cooking oats
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (okay, I made a compromise here with the chips... but a girl's got to have chocolate sometimes!)
1/4 cup raisins (I actually used chopped prunes, because they're a similar texture and taste without the added sugar)

With a fork, thoroughly combine butter and sugar substitute. Mix in egg and vanilla. Add oat bran flour, oats, soda and salt and stir until just combined. Add chips and raisins and stir until just mixed in. You don't want to overwork the cookie dough.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. These cookies puff up a little but, but they DO NOT SPREAD, so no need to space them too far apart. You'll want to flatten your little cookie dough blobs a little bit with floured fingers.

(Now I made my cookies a little too big--rounded tablespoonfuls, actually--and it made about 1-1/2 dozen cookies, plus about 2T uncooked cookie dough right in my mouth. Yes, I am guilty of the sin of gluttony.)

Bake in a preheated 350*F oven for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 3-5 minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


You'll never miss the flour. And seriously, I can't even tell the difference between sugar and whey low. It's a little pricey, but oh-so-yummy. And no, I don't work for these people, or receive incentive of any kind for writing that.

Potential warning: because these contain lots of fiber, and especially if you use prunes instead of raisins, like I did... well. You can imagine what might happen if you eat too many.