It's that strange time of the year where winter's almost over but it's not quite spring. The snow is a bit slushy and the fields aren't quite green (I had no intention of having that part rhyme but I am IN-TO-IT). I recently moved from Southern California to Idaho and basically traded wind in the winter season for snow. So far, this has been a fairly mild winter. We haven't had a ton of snow. I thought we dodged a bullet and had more time to acclimate. I was NOT prepared for the snow we got this past weekend. My neighbors were looking at my California rain boots and didn't feel an ounce of sorrow for me. I don't blame them, it wasn't a pretty sight. I did supervise the creation of a very small snow man, however. Have you ever actually tried to build a snowman? That is no small task! It takes a lot of effort! I've saw one that was 5 ft. tall, with a hat that was also made of snow. WHAT? How? Who has the time and energy? Is there a snowman building kit I'm unaware of? If so then please, someone share it with me!
So, after our first real snow experience, with completely inappropriate attire, we were all a little cold. I love to bake when it's cold outside. Mainly because using the oven warms up the house. Something I avoided doing in sunny California. I like to base my recipes off the season since that affects the produce you choose and apples seem to always be in season. My youngest loves apples so we always have at least a dozen on hand. I saw them in our fruit bowl and knew we had to make something out of them. I had no idea this would turn out so darn delicious! I admit, I wish I had some vanilla ice cream on hand but we really do try and stay away from most dairy. If you do want to pair this with ice cream, look for dairy alternatives made with almond or coconut milk!
Now that you know how this recipe came to be, allow me to share it with you!
Ingredients:
5-6 apples, pretty sure I used 6 but could have easily gotten away with 4-5.
1 cup almond flour (use coconut flour as a substitute if you have any nut allergies)
1 tbsp Cinnamon
2/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp pink himalayan salt or sea salt
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup grain free granola (preferably already seasoned with cinnamon and coconut sugar!) You may also use steel cut oats as a replacement if you have nut allergies!
1 tbsp maple syrup
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
Core and chop your apples. I left the skin on but you may also peel them.
Toss the apples with cinnamon and maple syrup.
Mix the remaining dry ingredients above in one bowl.
Add the coconut oil to the dry ingredients and mix. This will become a bit paste like. If it's too dry, add a little more oil until you get to the consistency desired.
Place the apples on the bottom of your favorite baking dish (I coated the dish with coconut oil ahead of time, the dish I used was 8x8")
Take your topping mixture and spread long the top of your apples. It doesn't have to cover every apple.
Optional but highly recommended- drizzle honey or maple syrup on top of the mixture.
Bake for 40-50 minutes
I highly recommend eating this fresh from the oven like we did. We had plenty of leftovers and was still yummy after about 30 seconds in the microwave. Enjoy!