Baked Apples
GLUTEN FREE · VEGAN OPTION · PALEO · AIP OPTION
These baked apples have been in my life since I was a little girl. My mum’s go-to quick dessert recipe, prepared in minutes, perfect for winter when made with warming spices, and even great in summer, served with a scoop of ice cream! The original recipe of course contains generous amounts of butter and sugar, so I wanted to remake it in a healthier way. I confess, it wasn’t too challenging an ingredient-swap, and the end-result is practically identical to the original that I grew up with.
There’s something so comforting about the smell of apples baking in the oven, like a delicious sweet warmth filling up the house. It’s perfect for this time of year and throughout winter, and I really cannot stress how quickly and easily it can quite literally be thrown together.
INGREDIENTS
Apples
At one apple per person/serving, this recipe is easily adjusted according to how many you are making it for.
Any type of apple will do, but the taste will vary. Naturally sweeter apples will yield a sweeter result, while tarter varieties will be less sweet, so choose your apples according to the level of sweetness you are looking for. I have made this recipe with both Pink Lady apples (sweet) and green Granny Smiths (tart) and like both equally so I pretty much just use whichever I have at home.
Apples are very gut-friendly due to their pectin content, which has protective anti-inflammatory properties and is also a source of mucilage (which both nourishes the gut and assists in its healing). As such, this is a great dessert for a troubled tummy, and with a couple of minor modifications, would be very suitable even during an IBD flare.
Ghee or coconut oil
Ghee is possibly one of my favourite ingredients ever! It has a lovely nutty taste and is an excellent alternative to butter, particularly in savoury cooking. Due to the removal of the milk solids, it is both lactose-free and casein-free and so is very well-tolerated, although may still need to be avoided by those with severe dairy allergies (in which case, coconut oil would be a suitable alternative, making the sauce dairy free).
Ghee is also a key ingredient in a gut-healing diet as it contains butyrate: a source of energy for the cells lining the colon, anti-inflammatory and can improve intestinal permeability.
I prefer using ghee for this, as it gives the apples a nice buttery flavour, and adds just a hint of saltiness. However, if you would like the vegan version, then opt for coconut oil. This will of course add a slight coconut-y flavour to the dessert.
Coconut oil is high in lauric acid, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. For more on coconut oil, read this.
Ghee/coconut oil are source of fat, which help slow the absorption of the sugars in the dessert, thus helping to reduce spikes in blood sugar.
Coconut sugar
A great substitute for refined sugar, also called coconut palm sugar (not to be confused with palm sugar), it is not as processed and even contains small amounts of certain nutrients.
Coconut sugar contains potassium, magnesium, and sodium, which are important for balancing electrolyte levels in the body. Regular table sugar has a glycemic index (GI) of 65, while coconut sugar has a GI of 35 (much closer to the GI of the sugar that’s naturally found in fruits - around 25).
A serving 1 teaspoon of coconut sugar is considered Low-FODMAP, and as that is the amount per apple, a serving of one apple complies with this.
Cinnamon
Apples and cinnamon - a classic flavour match made in food heaven, no?
Cinnamon is a wonder spice, great for helping to regulate blood sugar (very important for keeping inflammation in check), as well as being a digestive aid.
Nutmeg (optional)
This ancient spice has a history of medicinal use, namely soothing the nervous system and easing pain. It contains antioxidants and is a source of various minerals and even vitamins, but here is mainly used for its lovely warming flavour.
Clove (optional)
Ground clove, with its warm, sweet and aromatic taste is a wonderful anti-inflammatory spice, rich in phytonutrients.
Raisins
Small but mighty, raisins have earned their position in the world healthy snacks due to being rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals. They also just happen to add a great extra texture and hit of sharp sweetness to the baked apples and, if you opt for golden raisins, they’re also jewel-like and visually appealing!
Nuts
You can use any nuts you like! I usually tend to opt for either pecans or blanched almonds, but walnuts or hazelnuts would also work beautifully.
To make the recipe AIP-compliant, leave these out.
TIPS
When coring the apples, be careful not to push too far down with the corer as you want the bottom to remain intact, rather than have a hole running through the entire apple.
However, even when being careful, it’s all too easy to accidentally push through the apple, but don’t worry, there is a quick fix for this: simply cut the bottom 1cm or so of the removed apple-core-cylinder, and place it back into the base of the apple, like a plug! This will help keep all the juices from flowing out of the apple, keeping it soft and moist as it cooks.
SERVING SUGGESTION
The apples taste great just as they are, but you can of course ‘up the ante’ by serving them with any of the following:
A dollop of nut butter
Whipped coconut cream
A drizzle of maple syrup or honey
Vegan caramel sauce
Vegan vanilla ice cream
You can even cut them in half and top them with some crunchy granola for an alternative breakfast option.
BAKED APPLES
Ingredients
- 4 apples
- 1 1/2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2-3 tbsp chopped nuts of choice
- 2-3 tbsp raisins
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground (optional)
- pinch of clove, ground (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- In a bowl, mix the ghee/coconut oil, sugar, nuts, raisins and spices to make a kind of paste for the apple filling. Set aside.
- Core the apples: try to create a hollow in the centre of around 1.5cm in diameter, to allow enough of the filling to be pushed in, but try not to push the corer all the way through the apple, so as to leave the base intact.
- Using a sharp knife, lay each apple on its side and make a shallow horizontal cut all the way round each apple, at about the mid-point of the apple's height.
- Place the prepared apples in an oven-proof dish.
- Push a generous amount of the filling into the hollow centre of each apple. It doesn't matter if some sticks out of the top of the apple as this will just caramelise in the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes (though much firmer apples may need a little longer so test with a skewer before removing from the oven).
- Remove from the oven and serve.