Simple Baked Apples

Tender apples are stuffed with crunchy nuts and sweet raisins, and spiked with cinnamon. This old fashioned treat is not only a frugal dessert, but it is delicious too. I am putting this into the category of “The Healthy $1 Menu”, because each serving cost less than one dollar to make!

This is the type of dessert that Dr. Price would have served to the school children in his programs, by the way. While I don’t think that fruit always needs to be on the menu, fruit can help provide needed vitamins and nutrients not always found elsewhere.

I served this with a side of homemade ice cream. For a dairy-free version you could use my coconut milk vanilla ice cream. We tried a goat milk version, since we just recently found out that goat’s milk may be okay for us. Next time I may try a combination of coconut milk and goat’s milk to up the creaminess of the ice cream. We tried 3 cups of whole goat’s milk (raw and fresh, so that it wouldn’t taste “goaty”), ¼ cup honey, 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Very yummy and light.

When we think of baked apples, we generally think of whole apples, baked. But you don’t necessarily have to leave the apple whole. Traditionally, sometimes they were halved or even sliced before baking. I got tired of coring my apple, so here; I cut them in half and then stuff each half. You could easily make this with any amount of apples you want. I use about ½ tablespoon each of nuts, dried fruit per half of apple, and butter (or coconut oil). Then add as much sweetener and cinnamon as you’d like and you have your stuffing mixture!

I have been making a small amount of apples at a time. This will serve 2 people, for a whole apple each, or 4 people, with a half apple each.

Simple Baked Apples

Traditionally, baking apples were used for this type of recipe as they won’t fall apart easily once cooked. However, both my husband and I remember our mothers making it with apples that became quite soft and mushy once baked – which we actually kind of liked. So it is up to you what you want use! 

2 medium/small cooking apples (such as Rome Beauty, Granny Smith, or Jonathan)
2 tablespoon chopped nuts (walnuts are a favorite)
2 tablespoons dried fruit (raisins, currants, or whatever else catches your fancy)
1 tablespoon of sweetener of your choice (honey, to make it GAPS-friendly, coconut sugar, unrefined cane sugar)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons of butter or coconut oil (use coconut oil to make it vegan)
½ cup of water or apple juice

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix together the nuts, fruit, sweetener, and cinnamon.
3. Using the stem to center your knife cut down the middle of each apple. Using a pointy spoon, dig out the core of each apple half.
4. Stuff each apple with the nut and fruit mixture. Top each half with about ½ tablespoon of butter or coconut oil.
5. Place in a small casserole dish (I use a nine by nine glass one). Pour the water or apple juice around the apples (this will help keep them moist while they cook).
6. Cover the pan with aluminum foil (not allowing it to touch the food). Place in oven and cook for about 30-45 minutes, or until the apples are soft. About every 10-15 minutes, baste the apples with the water/juice from the bottom of the pan. This helps make sure they don’t dry out.
7. When they are soft enough. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve plain, or with ice cream, or maple whipped cream. Enjoy!

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KimiHarris

I love beautiful and simple food that is nourishing to the body and the soul. I wrote Fresh: Nourishing Salads for All Seasons and Ladled: Nourishing Soups for All Seasons as another outlet of sharing this love of mine. I also love sharing practical tips on how to make a real food diet work on a real life budget. Find me online elsewhere by clicking on the icons below!

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