Cozy Baked Apples
These warming, comforting, and health-giving baked apples have been my go-to breakfast and snack for these last days of winter. They are so simple to make and have no added sugar. This recipe is an Ayurvedic recipe, so it is balancing for all three Doshas or constitutional types of Ayurveda, Pitta, Vata, and Kapha. Because of the fats from the nuts, ghee (clarified butter), and sesame oil, they don’t spike my blood sugar and are high in fiber. I make a batch at the beginning of the week and then reheat one, whenever I am craving a little bit of sweet or a hearty and wholesome snack or treat. The spices include cinnamon, nutmeg, and star of anise, giving the apples the perfect bit of spice. The lemon juice and zest add a little zing. I find these baked apples really balanced and flavorful. Here is a wonderful book on Ayurveda, if you want to learn more.
Makes 6 apples/ Preparation time 15 minutes/ Bake time 50 minutes / Total time 65 minutes
Gather
6 apples, cored
1/2 cup / 75 grams chopped walnuts
1/4 cup / 30 grams chopped pistachios
1/3 cup Hunza golden raisins or currants
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon star of anise powder (to make, simply, place a few star anise in a coffee grinder or small food processor and grind to a powder)
1/4 cup / 59 ml cup ghee, melted
2 tablespoons sesame oil (not toasted)
juice of a half lemon
Pinch of salt
Make
Preheat oven to 350 F/ 177 C
Place cored apples into a baking dish. Mix melted ghee and sesame oil together, and set aside. Mix all other ingredients together and drizzle half the ghee and oil mixture in. Mix and stuff apples, allowing the extra filling to spill over the apple tops. Drizzle the remaining oil/ghee mixture over the apples. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes. Tent with aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent the filling from burning.
Developed by Anna Getty-Oster and Katherine Howell
