Along with our increased emphasis on veggie main dishes this new year, I've started to emphasize more fruit desserts. I confess that when I set out to fix dessert I automatically lean towards the magic of rising flour - there is something in the transformational chemistry of baking that draws me, enchants me. Fruit desserts are much more subtle - they don't puff up, change shape or color dramatically, or stubbornly refuse to rise if you forget the baking powder.
But I am leaning towards subtlety, lately. And fruit desserts are the perfect conclusion to a complete, healthful meal - a nutritious, light, cleansing way to end the meal on a slightly sweet note (that happens to come with plentiful vitamin C and antioxidents).
Hence, on Tuesday evening, I continued the food nostalgia series with one of my childhood favorite desserts - baked apples! These, of course, are southern baked apples, filled with pecans and cinnamon...
Maple Pecan Baked Apples 4 large apples, cored (I prefer a slightly tart apple for this recipe, such as jonagold or granny smith)
4 T raw sugar or date sugar
4 T maple syrup
2 T melted butter or light vegan marg.
1 tsp cinnamon
6 T chopped pecans
~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
~ Whisk together the sugar, maple syrup, butter/marg, and cinnamon until well combined.
~ Stir in the pecans until the pecans are coated with a smooth glaze.
~ Place the apples in a baking dish. Fill the apple cores with the pecan mixture. If there is any extra pecan mixture, let it dribble on top and down the sides of the apples.
~ Bake for 40 minutes - until the apples are tender. Serve immediately, topped with whipped cream or a little vegan yogurt...
("I want to go to the gym and have baked apples for dessert too!")
Along with our increased emphasis on veggie main dishes this new year, I've started to emphasize more fruit desserts. I confess that when I set out to fix dessert I automatically lean towards the magic of rising flour - there is something in the transformational chemistry of baking that draws me, enchants me. Fruit desserts are much more subtle - they don't puff up, change shape or color dramatically, or stubbornly refuse to rise if you forget the baking powder.
But I am leaning towards subtlety, lately. And fruit desserts are the perfect conclusion to a complete, healthful meal - a nutritious, light, cleansing way to end the meal on a slightly sweet note (that happens to come with plentiful vitamin C and antioxidents).
Hence, on Tuesday evening, I continued the food nostalgia series with one of my childhood favorite desserts - baked apples! These, of course, are southern baked apples, filled with pecans and cinnamon...
Maple Pecan Baked Apples
4 large apples, cored (I prefer a slightly tart apple for this recipe, such as jonagold or granny smith)
4 T raw sugar or date sugar
4 T maple syrup
2 T melted butter or light vegan marg.
1 tsp cinnamon
6 T chopped pecans
~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
~ Whisk together the sugar, maple syrup, butter/marg, and cinnamon until well combined.
~ Stir in the pecans until the pecans are coated with a smooth glaze.
~ Place the apples in a baking dish. Fill the apple cores with the pecan mixture. If there is any extra pecan mixture, let it dribble on top and down the sides of the apples.
~ Bake for 40 minutes - until the apples are tender. Serve immediately, topped with whipped cream or a little vegan yogurt...