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Healthy and delectable Baked Apples with Maple Syrup are filled with spiced toasty nuts, dates and dried cherries. Serve for dessert or brunch. No refined sugar, vegan and gluten-free!
Beauty is not caused. It is. ~Emily Dickinson
Tender Baked Apples with a gooey flavorful amazing center. Kind of like eating apple pie and pecan pie in one bite. Lightly sweetened with maple syrup and dates, these are good for breakfast or dessert. My mom makes these apples for holiday breakfasts when you just want something light yet homey and special. You can prepare apples a day ahead and bake the next day. They are perfect with a little ice cream or greek yogurt.
Pecans and walnuts are toasted first for added depth. Dates and dried cherries are pulsed in the food processor along with the nuts just enough to bring it together. Toasted fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg combine to create lively complexity. Orange peel and ginger give a bright zesty balance.
What you’ll need for Baked Apples
Ways to Adapt
Use a combination of nuts such as pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, and almonds.
What variety of apples are best for baking?
There are so many apple varieties available these days!
Good baking apples work good here such as:
- Honey crisp
- Gala
- Johnathan
- Braeburn
- Fuji
- Pink lady
- Granny Smith
How to make Baked Apples
Step one
Toast nuts in a preheated oven at 350 F for 8-10 minutes.
While they are baking, toast whole fennel seeds in a dry skillet until just slightly color and smell fragrant.
Step two
Coarsely grind the fennel by hand or in a spice grinder.
Gather spices, zest orange and grate ginger.
Step three
In the food processor pulse together toasted nuts, orange zest, dried cherries, dates, cinnamon, fennel seed, cardamom, nutmeg and ginger.
It’ll just take about 6-8 pulses, you want the pieces to be coarsely chopped, keeping the texture.
Step five
Add orange juice and maple syrup and pulse 2 -3 times just to incorporate.
Step six
Core the apples. The easiest way to do this is with an apple corer.
Alternatively, you can hollow them out with a knife, just enough to remove the entire core.
Step seven
Eyeball the mixture dividing it in 6 clumps. Squish and roll together and push into the cored apples.
Step eight
Place stuffed apples in an oiled pan (coconut oil is nice here).
Place in oven, covered with foil at 350 for 45-70 minutes. Baking until tender.
The baking time greatly depends on the type of apple you use.
To Serve:
Top with ice cream or greek yogurt
More recipes you may enjoy
Hope you give this recipe for Baked Apples a try! Let us know what you think.
~Tonia
Baked Apples with Spiced Nut Filling
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 6 apples
Category: Dessert/ Brunch
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Description
Healthy and delectable Baked Apples with Maple Syrup are filled with spiced toasty nuts, dates and dried cherries. Serve for dessert or brunch. No refined sugar, vegan and gluten-free!
- 6 medium sized apples
- 1 1/2 cup nuts pecans and walnuts, toasted
- 1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
- 1/4 cup dried cherries
- 1/4 cup pitted dates (medjool are recommended)
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tsp roasted whole fennel seeds (lightly ground)
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated
- 2 tablespoons orange juice or water
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- In the food processor pulse together pecans, walnuts, orange zest, dried cherries, dates, cinnamon, fennel seed, cardamom, nutmeg and ginger. It’ll just take about 6-8 pulses, you want the pieces to be coarsely chopped, keeping the texture.
- Add orange juice and maple syrup and pulse 2 -3 times just to incorporate.
- Core the apples. The easiest way to do this is with an apple corer. Alternatively, you can hollow them out with a knife, just enough to remove the entire core.
- Eyeball the mixture dividing it in 6 clumps. Squish and roll together and push into the cored apples.
- Place stuffed apples in an oiled pan (coconut oil is nice here).
- Place in oven, covered with foil. 350 for 45-70 minutes. The baking time greatly depends on the type of apple you use.
Notes
Toast nuts in a preheated oven at 350 F for 8-10 minutes.