It’s that time of year again, apple season! I am excited to have this delicious and versatile fruit back in season. There are so many different ways to prepare and eat apples, but one of my favorites is stuffed apples. They are a great snack to put in lunch boxes, for after school, or on the go. And they can easily be turned into a delicious dessert.
Ingredients:
- Your favorite kind of apple
- nuts or nut butter
- dried fruit
- warming spices like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves
- granola
Method:
1. Core the apple. You will want to make the cavity about an inch in diameter while making sure you do not cut through the bottom.
2. Drop about a tablespoon of nut butter into the cavity and spread around.
3. Mix together spices, dried fruit and granola and pour into the apple.
*To turn them into a dessert, you can bake them. They will become soft and sweet. To do this, go ahead and add a bit of butter to the top of the stuffed apples. It will help the apples caramelize, and let’s face it, everything is better with a little butter. Next add a splash of water to the bottom of the baking dish and cover with foil. This will help the apples soften. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes, or until apples are fork tender.
Here’s a couple variation of baked apples:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/baked-apples-stuffed-cranberries-and-almonds
http://www.thekitchn.com/weeknight-recipe-oatmealbrown-75752