Less time consuming than a full apple crisp but still delivering a major ‘wow!’ factor, these Baked Crisp Apples are easy and fun to make with little ones or quick enough to whip up on the fly for an improntu dessert. Top yours with vegan ice cream or whipped coconut cream – YUM!

Yield: 4 Servings

Time: 10 minutes prep + 20 minutes baking time

Ingredients:

1 cup old fashioned oats (gluten free if needed)

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 cup cold vegan butter (or if you aren’t vegan than organic grass-fed butter or ghee)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla paste (or extract)

1 pinch sea salt

4 large baking apples

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small mixing bowl combine oats, coconut sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla and sea salt. Mix together thoroughly – don’t be afraid to do this with your hands 😉
3. Now core your apples, I use a small knife and spoon to do this. Be careful not to cut through to the bottom of the apple. You want to remove enough of the core and seeds but leave a bottom so your filling doesn’t escape out.
4. Fill each apple with 2-3 Tbsp of filling. This depends on the size of your apples. If you have smaller apples and lots of leftover filling, no biggy – just make a few more apples or eat the filling like my son does…
5. Carefully put your apples on the baking sheet and set your timer for 20 minutes. Check on your apples part way to make sure they aren’t getting too dark on top. If that happens just lay a sheet of tin foil over top of them and continue to cook until the 20 minutes is up.
6. Remove from the oven and let set for 5 minutes on the baking sheet to cool sightly. Then serve with desired topping or just as they are. Enjoy!