Ingredients
- 6 tart apples, peeled and sliced
- 90 ml Québec maple syrup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 100 g rolled oats
- 80 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g cold unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 30 g chopped walnuts
Method
- Heat the oven to 175 °C and butter a 20 cm baking dish.
- Toss apples with 45 ml maple syrup, lemon juice, and cinnamon; spread in the dish.
- Rub butter into oats, flour, salt, walnuts, and the remaining maple syrup until coarse crumbs form.
- Scatter the topping over the apples and bake 40–45 minutes, until bubbling and browned.
- Rest 10 minutes before serving.
Conversion and rationale
Original sweetener (classic version): 150 g brown sugar, divided between fruit and topping
Conversion used: Replace 150 g brown sugar with 90 ml maple syrup; use flour in the topping to absorb the added moisture and bake 15 °C below the common 190 °C setting.
Why Quebec maple syrup: Maple pairs naturally with baked apples, oats, and walnuts. The croustade uses less refined sweetener while retaining a crisp, buttery topping.
General rule: 1 cup (250 ml) sugar ≈ 3/4 cup (180 ml) maple syrup; reduce liquids by 45–60 ml per cup of syrup and lower oven by 15 °C. Substitution calculator →