Tender baked apples stuffed with oats, nuts and dried fruit are a delicious and easy dessert. And, they’re refined sugar-free!
Dessert without guilt? It’s a real thing! These healthy baked apples are stuffed with oats, walnuts, dried cranberries, cinnamon, and little bit of vegan butter.
You don’t need to add sugar because the apples are sweet all on their own, and baking them releases their juice and makes them tender and delicious. It’s like eating an apple crumble without all of the work or calories.
The inspiration for this healthy apple dessert can be credited to laziness, and a bunch of apples sitting on my kitchen counter that needed to be eaten stat.
I contemplated making an apple pie, but I was too lazy to make the pie crust. I thought about making an apple crumble, but I was too lazy to peel and cut the apples. I considered eating all of the apples—all ten of them—in a day, but really? No. That’s when I realized that I hadn’t made stuffed baked apples in like a hundred years. It was time.
Y’all, these are so darn good, and so easy to make. This should be a weekly dessert, or meal if you’re so inclined. I mean it, you could eat one, or two (no judgment here), for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, because every major ingredient is a whole food that provides you with nutrients. An apple a day….
Here’s what this simple and fabulous stuffed apple dessert offers you in regards to vitamins and such.
Don’t worry about the sugar in the apples causing your blood sugar to spike, because this perfect fruit has polyphenols and enzymes that prevent spikes in blood sugar. They’re also a good source of fiber and vitamin C, and they have anti-cancer, anti-asthma, and cardiovascular benefits.
An excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids, copper, manganese, biotin, and more. They have cardiovascular, type-2 diabetes, cancer, and metabolic syndrome benefits.
Most of you already know that whole oats lower cholesterol, but did you know that they can also reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, enhance your immune system, lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, and more?
While fresh cranberries are optimal for nutrition, they’re not always available after the holidays, so dried are the next best thing, as long as they are low or no sugar. I always choose unsweetened dried cranberries because I love the tart flavor they add to my recipes. Cranberries are important for urinary tract health and they can also stabilize blood sugar. They’re also an anti-inflammatory food.
Now that you know the health benefits of this baked apple recipe, it’s time to talk about how delicious they are.
These ruby red beauties are so warm and cozy, they’re the ultimate comfort food. The apples are stuffed with a mix of whole oats, walnuts, dried cranberries, cinnamon, vanilla, and a bit of vegan butter—I use Earth Balance no soy buttery sticks—then they’re baked until the apples are tender and the oat and walnut mixture is slightly crunchy on the top and chewy in the center.
The sweetness of the apple, the tartness of the cranberries, and the savory cinnamon, are so inviting and comforting. And the textures are delightful. The baked apple is almost creamy, the walnuts are crunchy, and the cranberries and oats are chewy.
This is a healthy and satisfying dessert that the entire family will love, especially if you top it with a scoop of So Delicious vanilla bean coconut ice cream. Swoon.
How to Make Baked Stuffed Apples
- Combine the whole oats, chopped walnuts, dried cranberries, cinnamon, vanilla, sea salt, vegan butter, and water until it begins to stick together.
- Wash and core the apples. Use a paring knife to carefully cut out the core. Use a spoon to scrape out the bottom of the core.
- Put the cored apples in a deep pie pan or a baking dish. Spoon the filling into the apples until it’s about to overflow.
- Pour a cup of water in the bottom of the pan, cover with foil, and bake for approximately one hour.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream if desired.
This is such an easy, healthy, and delicious dessert to serve your family and friends. Make some tonight and come back to the blog and let us know what you thought. If you take a picture make sure you share it with us on Instagram. Tag us @veganosity.
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- 8 medium to large apples
- 1 cup 81 g rolled oats
- 1 cup 117 g chopped walnuts
- ½ cup 76 g dried unsweetened cranberries or raisins
- 2 tsp 5 g ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp finely ground sea salt
- 2 tbsp 29 g chilled vegan butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup 240 ml + 3 tbsp (45 ml) water, divided
- Vegan vanilla ice-cream
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Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) degrees
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Wash and carefully core the apples with a paring knife. Scrape the bottom of the core out with a spoon, making sure that you don’t put a hole in the bottom of the apple.
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In a large mixing bowl combine the oats, walnuts, cranberries or raisings, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, vegan butter, and 3 tbsp (45 ml) of water. Use your hands to mix it together, pressing the butter into the oats until it becomes sticky.
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Put the apples in a deep baking dish and pour one cup of water in the pan. Liberally spoon the filling into the apples to the top and cover the pan with foil.
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Bake for approximately one hour, or until fork tender. Serve warm and top with vanilla ice-cream if desired.
The nutrition facts for this recipe are just an estimate.
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