It might only be August but fall, my favorite time of year, is just around the corner and I can't wait for apple and pumpkin everything! Apple dumplings and cobbler are one of absolute favorite fall desserts; however, we all know that aren't exactly our favorite when it come to our waist line. This recipe is low in added sugar and packed with some great nutrition from the oats, apples, and walnuts!
I created this recipe because Adam, my boyfriend, was craving an apple dumpling from Cracker Barrel. He is pretty careful about what he eats and is always interested in what I have to say about nutrition. His health is just as important to me as my own health; therefore, I decided to make healthy version with minimal added sugar and oats to satisfy his craving. You're probably thinking what makes this one healthier than the Cracker Barrel version? For starters it has minimal added sugar and is sweetened with pure cane sugar, apples, and apple sauce. The oat flour is packed with fiber, protein, manganese, iron, and B vitamins. The high fiber content is not only friendly for digestion but oats are ranked low on the glycemic index scale meaning it has minimal affect your blood glucose levels. So what does that mean? When you eat meals that contains processed carbohydrates like white flour and white rice, all the fiber and nutrients are removed and your body digests them rapidly and easily. This results in an increase in glucose and your body dumping insulin to lower your glucose. Fiber's main function is to slow down digestion because insoluble fiber is not digested. This is why when paired with sugar, glucose is slowly released into the blood stream eliminating that insulin dump. So who cares about a rise in glucose? Well this is where heart disease and diabetes come into play and there is a clear association between processed foods and these diseases for that reason. When you have a rapid increase in insulin this means fat storage! So when ingesting meals high in carbohydrates its best to make sure they are high in fiber. This is where the term "good carbs" come from. Good carbs are just carbohydrates that are naturally accompanied by fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
So lets just say Adam appreciated the fact that this was much healthier than the 3, 229 calories, 155 g of fat, and 263 grams of sugar found in the apple dumpling from Cracker Barrel. He liked the cobbler so much that he had me make an additional pan for him to take home to his roommate JJ! Together they demolished the pan which was still fewer calories than the Cracker Barrel version!
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| Adam's happy roommate "JJ" |
To keep the recipe healthy, we topped it off with some frozen greek yogurt which has more protein and less fat than regular ice cream:) So with the ice cream you are still looking at less than 1/6 the calories compared to the Cracker Barrel version.
Ingredients
7-8 medium apples ( I used Fuji apples because they are naturally sweeter apples)
2 T honey
1 1/2 C water
2 C oat flour
1 C rolled oats plus some for topping
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup raw cane sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of almond milk
2 1/2 tsp butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Peel and dice apples. You can leave the skin on if you prefer for more fiber and nutrients!
- Place apples in a sauce pan with honey, 3 tsp cinnamon, and water and allow to cook on medium heat for about 30-40 minutes until apples are tender and saucy.
- When apples are cooked, remove from heat and mash them up a bit more with a whisk.
- While apples cool, combine the oat flour, 1 C oats, remaining cinnamon, baking powder, sugar, eggs, oil or butter, vanilla, milk, apple sauce, and salt in blender until incorporated.
- In a shallow baking dish, I used a 9x13 inch pan pour in apple mixture. Pour batter over top and spread out evenly. Top with approximately 1/4 cup of oats and 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts.
- Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes until center is set
- Makes 8 servings. Serve warm with frozen yogurt! Yum :)
