The hedgerows have been laden with beautiful, glistening blackberries this summer. I love going out foraging for these tasty berries. Not only do they taste good but they’re free! It always amazes me how few people make the most of this wonderful gift from nature.
Admittedly, if your only source is next to a busy main road, or have a high risk of contamination from passing dogs (never pick the berries lowest to the ground!) then I can understand why it’s worth giving them a pass. But if you can find alternatives away from roads and peeing dogs, what’s stopping you?
Blackberrying benefits
There are so many benefits to blackberry picking such as:
- it gets you outside which is always good!
- you connect with nature, something we do less and less even though it’s really good for us
- you go for a walk – getting in daily steps is always good
- if you’re walking in a field or on uneven ground, it’s good for your muscles and improves balance
- blackberries are packed with healthy anti-inflammatory compounds including those powerful purple anthocyanins and polyphenols.
- wild blackberries contain more fibre than cultivated ones including insoluble fibre which the microbiome loves
- did I mention they’re free???
Apple and blackberry – the perfect seasonal combo
Our apple tree has also produced an abundant crop this year; we have been eating blackberry and apple combos for the last couple of months. I’ve also stacked the freezer with crumbles to enjoy later in the year. I did this last year and it was such a delight to tuck into the flavours of autumn on a dark winters night! If you’re looking for a great crumble topping then check out this summer crumble recipe and use this one.
If you want more than crumble then have a look at this apple and blackberry loaf cake recipe or this apple and blackberry galette (which is awesome, even if I say so myself!). Or, tuck into this new recipe – gorgeous apple and blackberry oat slice.
Ingredient alternatives
The four main ingredients in this recipe are oats, almonds, apples and blackberries. All contain different types of fibre that your microbiome will love. If you are nut free, you can replace them with ground sunflower seeds instead – you’ll need a powerful blender for that though. Gluten free oats work just as well as ‘normal’ oats if you avoid gluten-containing foods. If you need to avoid oats completely due to Celiac disease, then you could sub with buckwheat flakes – I’ve not tested this though so can’t give 100% guarantee I’m afraid.
The apple and blackberries do come with quite a lot of sugar – this is all natural sugar though, bound up in the fibre. The coconut sugar however is not bound up with anything although there is only a small amount per portion. However, if you follow a no-added sugar diet, feel free to omit it. You may wish to add a little cinnamon to the oats to give a slightly sweeter flavour though.
Due to the high fibre ingredients, these apple and blackberry oat slices are really hearty and super filling. I tend to cut these into squares making 9 portions. However if you prefer a slightly smaller slice, go for 12 rectangles instead.
I hope you enjoy making these delicious autumnal slices. If you give them a go, do let me know how you get on in the comments below.
Apple and blackberry oat slice
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180℃. Line the baking tin with non-stick baking paper.
- Weigh out 200g oats into one bowl and 135g in another. Add the ground almonds to the 200g bowl along with 50g of coconut sugar and the salt. Mix well to combine.
- Place 150g of the apple sauce in a jug. Add the maple syrup and 4 tbsp oat milk. Stir well to combine.
- Pour the apple mix into the oat mix and stir well, bringing it together into a soft dough.
- Transfer the oat dough to the prepared baking tin and spread out to cover the bottom, pressing into the corners and flattening the top.
- Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is firm and lightly golden.
- Wash the blackberries under running water and remove any stalks or extra fibrous bits. Pop the berries in a pan with 1 tbsp castor sugar. Gently bring to a simmer and leave to cook for 5 minutes until they start to soften and the juices run out.
- If the mix is very juicy, drain a little off so you are left with a thick berry mix. Turn off the heat and mash slightly.
- If you are making an apple and blackberry filling, peel and finely dice the apple and add to the pan with 200g of blackberries. Simmer in a similar way as above - it might take up to 10 minutes for the apple to soften. Turn off the heat and mash as above.
- Grab the bowl containing 135g of oats. Add 30g of coconut sugar and stir well.
- Add the remain 100g of apple sauce and 1 tbsp maple syrup and stir well to form a crumbly mix.
- Once the base is baked, remove it from the oven and leave to cool for a couple of minutes. Spread the blackberry mix over the base, making sure it's fully covered. Then sprinkle the crumble mix over the top and return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes until the top is firm and golden.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tray for 15 minutes (this is important or it might fall apart).
- After 15 minutes, lift the bake out of the tin using the baking paper and transfer to a cooling rack. Leave to cool fully then cut into 9 squares. Carefully peel off the baking paper and store in an air-tight container in a cool place for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
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