Almond Butter Baked Apples
Most people think of eating baked apples for dessert but I love them for breakfast. I got the idea of making a breakfast-friendly baked apple packed with brain healthy ingredients from Katie Morford’s book Rise and Shine, Better Breakfasts for Busy Mornings, my bible for inspired breakfasts. She stuffs her baked apples with granola and drizzles them with butter and maple syrup.
Katie also gave me the idea of making these up to 3 days ahead of time and reheating for a warm, cozy breakfast in minutes. Brilliant!
One day when I was out of my favorite granola I stuffed apples with almond butter instead. A topping of chopped dates and crystallized ginger added a touch of sweet to each bite. I swapped in olive oil for the butter and drizzled it, along with maple syrup, over the apples as they went into the oven. I added a big dollop of Vanilla Bean Cashew Cream, a generous sprinkling of cinnamon, and a smattering of cashews. My new favorite breakfast baked apple was born.
Ima
gine all the stuffed apples we can make
It takes just a few minutes to core out the apples, stuff them, and pop them in the oven. Honestly, I can prep enough baked apples for my family of 4 faster than it takes me to make oatmeal! (Not the instant, microwaved kind.) And, there’s an unlimited number of ways you can stuff your apples: Use another type of nut or seed butter for the almond butter; add raisins, currants, chopped apricots or dried cherries for the dates; top with any type of yogurt instead of cashew cream.
I can’t wait to try baked apples with tahini and honey.
The secret is in the apple peel
Apples are also packed with impressive amounts of antioxidants, those free radical-fighting substances so important for fending off Alzheimer’s. Apples are right up there with cranberries in their concentration of flavonols—substances that fight oxidative stress and slow down aging of neurons in the brain. And much of an apple’s nutrition resides in the peel; apple peels contain up to 6 times more antioxidants than the rest of the fruit.
Whenever possible, include the peel when eating and cooking with apples.
An apple a day
Apples have been found to have anti-cancer properties too. A substance in the peel of apples reactivates a tumor suppressor gene called maspin, whose job is to keep breast cancer tumor cells from proliferating. This paper, entitled Does an apple a day keep the oncologist away?, published in the journal Annals of Oncology, looked at apples as a specific cancer-fighting food. They found that women who eat at least one apple a day have 24% less chance of getting breast cancer. In addition, they had lower overall risks of laryngeal, ovarian and colorectal cancers. Apples may just be an indicator of a healthy diet, but when the study took into account the other fruits and vegetables their participants consumed, the association with apple eating was even stronger.
Women who eat at least one apple a day have 24% less chance of getting breast cancer.
What will you stuff your baked apples with? I’d love to hear!
This recipe was featured in the Fall 2018 issue of Big Life Magazine, available in mountain towns all over the West. Thanks Big Life!
Be sure to check out more of food writer, cookbook author, and registered dietician Katie Morford’s irresistibly healthy ideas over at Mom’s Kitchen Handbook.
Prep Time | 10 minutes |
Cook Time | 35-40 minutes |
Servings |
apples
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- 4 apples medium-sized
- 1/2 cup almond butter or peanut, cashew or other nut or seed butter
- 1 date pit removed, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup cashews raw or roasted and salted
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons Vanilla Bean Cashew Cream or unsweetened Greek yogurt
Ingredients
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|
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Wash the apples and blot dry. Using a vegetable peeler or apple corer, remove the core and stem end of the apple, making sure not to puncture all the way through the bottom of the apple.
- Stuff each apple with a spoonful of almond butter.
- Sprinkle the chopped dates and crystalized ginger over the apples.
- Once each apple is packed and a little overflowing with stuffings, snuggle into a rimmed baking dish. Stir olive oil and maple syrup together in a small cup and pour over the apples.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the apples are tender and a pool of juices collects in the bottom of the baking dish. Baking time will depend on the size of your apples, so check them after 30 minutes and probe with a cake tester or skewer. If it easily slides through the apple, they are done.
- To serve, dollop each apple with a generous spoonful of Vanilla Bean Cashew Cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon and top with cashews.
Good varieties of apples for baking are Granny Smith, Cortland, Fuji, Honeyscrisp and Elliot. Any firm, tart apple will bake up well!
Find the Vanilla Bean Cashew Cream recipe here.
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