Monday, April 1, 2013

Baked Apples with Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Almond Butter

Happy Easter (yes, I'm late as usual with my holiday tidings)! Around my circle of family and friends, everyone's getting used to my late obsession with nutritious desserts, so it came as no surprise when I volunteered to make dessert for Easter. I had planned to make another bit of chocolate goodness that day, but honestly a fit of laziness overtook me and I really didn't feel like going to the store after church. As luck would have it, my husband had just bought a bunch of apples and the wheels started turning.....several Pinterest recipes later, I came up with the following baked apple concoction (read: fragrant, gooey, crunchy, cinnamon-y, comfort food)

Ingredients
5 firm apples (I used Jonna apples)
Almond butter (Costco has the best value $11 for 26 oz)
1 1/2 c unsalted nuts
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
1/4 c honey
1/4 c water

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place nuts on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with a healthy amount cinnamon and nutmeg, mix together. Put in oven until they smell toasted and fragrant. Transfer to a small bowl, drizzle with honey, and stir, repeating until nuts are sticky and just sweet enough. Set aside.

Slice top off apples and core them, being careful not to puncture the bottom or juices will run out. Fill cavity almost to top with almond butter, add a mound of honey nut mixture, and top with the top slice of apple. Repeat for each apple.

Place all apples in a pan (I used a pie dish) and pour water in bottom of dish to help apples stay moist while baking. Cook about 20 minutes, until easily punctured. Serve warm and gooey and delicious.....some cream wouldn't be bad with this, just sayin..............

My favorite part of these apples, besides the honey nut mixture, is that the apples were more "al dente" then traditional apples -they still had a good bite to them. In addition, they are delicious and satisfying.... They won't leave you craving more sugar even after a big Easter dinner as you are surrounded by Easter treats. Taste and see!















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