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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Baked Apples with Walnuts and Maple Sauce


This is one of the easiest and healthiest desserts I’ve made. I have switched the walnuts for pecans with excellent results, and even used a combination of the two. Be sure to halve the apples, as this cuts your baking time and lets them soak up more of the delicious sauce. Be sure you don’t peel the apples to make this dessert even healthier as the skin is where all the fiber and nutrients are. Just because it’s a dessert doesn’t mean it has to be bad for you.

Did you know: Apples are high in fiber thanks to the pectin in their skins and a medium apple contains only about 80 calorie. You can eat one right out of your hand and they don’t even require refrigeration for periods of time so there really isn’t a better on the go snack. Eat one with peanut or almond butter to add protein and even more fiber, and if you eat one before a meal, it’s said that you can significantly cut calories out of your diet due to the fullness you get from eating them.

Ingredients:

4 large apples, such as Granny Smith or Gala, halved and cored
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp light or dark brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup maple syrup
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped and toasted walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 ºF. Brush the cut sides of your apples with 1 tsp of the lemon juice. Place the apples cut side up on a baking sheet. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl, mix thoroughly and sprinkle apples with the mixture. Pour maple syrup in the bottom of the dish. Cover with foil, bake 10 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more until apples are tender. Transfer the apples to a serving platter or to individual plates. Pour the syrup and pan juices into small saucepan, stir in remaining lemon juice and salt, bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes or until the sauce is thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in the walnuts. Spoon the sauce over the apples, and serve warm.

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