Baked Apples

It was a dark and stormy night…so she made baked apples. I actually use my local bakery’s no-fat cinnamon-sunflower seed granola for the stuffing, adding some nut butter (sometimes) and maple syrup, but here’s an approximate breakdown of their ingredients

Baked Apples

Makes 4 large servings or 8 smaller servings (half-apples)

4 large firm baking apples, cored
2 cups rolled oats
2 teaspoons cinnamon
8 Medjool dates (or raisins), pitted and chopped
2 tablespoons ground flax
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 cup heavy cream or almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons almond butter (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and core apples. Make the hole about 1-1/2 inches large to allow for plenty of stuffing. Place cored apples in a lightly oiled rimmed baking dish.

Stir together the rest of the ingredients, mashing and turning the almond butter to incorporate. Add a splash of cream or almond milk to moisten.

Fill apples with the oatmeal mixture (firmly pack it down) and then spoon the leftover mixture and cream or almond milk into the dish, surrounding the apples.

Bake, uncovered, for about 30-50 minutes. The time will vary depending on your apples. I set the timer for 30 minutes, then check by piercing with a knife. The cream or almond milk will be absorbed and the oatmeal fairly firm. Serve with a drizzle of pure maple syrup, a dab of butter, whipped cream, or any other topping that catches your fancy!