These healthy, 21 Day Fix approved stuffed apples are topped with a sweet cinnamon-peanut butter sauce for the perfect finishing touch on this simple dessert.
Hey guys! So this is my last post before Halloween and I have to admit I'm getting pretty excited 🙂 I love me some Halloween. The girls both have Halloween parties on Friday and because of the times when they'll be having them, I actually get to attend both! I made some grab bags for my youngest's preschool class, picked up some juice boxes for both and I'm ready to go! Is it weird that I really enjoyed putting those grab bags together? I'd love to say that I went all Pinterest-Mom and planned an awesome Halloween punch or something super-crafty, but alas, that didn't happen, so juice boxes and store-bought goodies it is! There's always next year, right?
Do your kids bring home more Halloween candy than could possibly be eaten like ours do? I'm usually never quite sure what to do with all of the excess, but this year I received an email from my dentist saying that if we bring in a bag of candy, they would not only send it to troops overseas, but also give us a $5 gift card. So freaking awesome. I would have been happy to do it for nothing, but I'm even happier to do it for $5 😉 There are some kinds of candy that we don't let the girls have, mainly hard candy and gummies (the teeth-sticking stuff) because oral health is important (and maybe because I was once scolded by their dentist, but that's neither here nor there) and this will be a great way to get rid of that stuff plus whatever else doesn't get eaten in a reasonable amount of time.
Even though I'm obviously a relatively health-conscious person and parent, one debate my husband and I have never had is whether or not to let them have their candy. I have so many great memories from Halloween of my little sister and I, sitting on the floor with a crap ton of candy all around us, sorting and bargaining with each other that I could never keep that from them. We do have a Halloween candy policy, though. On Halloween night, we basically let them go nuts (within reason, sort of) because, like I said, that's happy memory type stuff. However, after Halloween, we definitely limit things. Usually one piece in the lunchbox and two pieces for "dessert" after dinner. I'm telling you, they get so much stinking candy, that things could really get out of hand if we didn't watch to some extent. What do you guys do with your kids' Halloween candy? I'm really curious!
Anyway, let's get to these apples... Have you ever made stuffed apples in the slow cooker before? I hadn't until recently, and I had no idea what I was missing! These little babies are basically apple pie without the guilt. Seriously. They're pretty fantastic and the best part is, they take very little sugar to taste that way. Plus, they take a heck of a lot * less time to put together with very little work. And that sauce? Swoon! That delicious sauce turns these already amazing apples into dessert 🙂
I had decided to give these a go because I was wanting to make another healthy Halloween treat and I thought that I could carve some adorable jack-o-lantern faces into them, which I did. I enjoyed them so much though, that I could not possibly relegate these just to Halloween, only coming once a year, they are definitely going to be on the regular rotation at my house. They're so convenient to have on hand... perfect for breakfast, a snack or dessert (though for breakfast or a snack, I leave off the sweet sauce). Sometimes I'll have them all on there own for breakfast, or sometimes I'll use them to top some cinnamon-laced oats (overnight or otherwise)... and they are absolute heaven! And hey, just because I leave the sauce off in the morning, doesn't mean you have to! If you're feeling like a morning treat, I say go for it!
A quick note: The size of your apples is a big variable here. The first time that I made these, the amount of filling that I used was exactly perfect for the six small apples that I had. However, when I made this recipe again for these pictures, the apples were slightly smaller and I actually had quite a bit of filling left over. The container count for the entire filling recipe is 2 Blues and 3 teaspoon syrup. So if you're able to fill 8 apples, each one (not counting the sauce) would count as 1 Purple, ¼ Blue and ⅓ teaspoon maple syrup. I have 6 apples in this recipe, but my monster of a crockpot could have easily fit 8 (it's 7 quarts!).
*Just wanted to share that while I was typing this post, google gave me a suggestion to use alot instead of a lot. Alot is not a word, people. You wouldn't write alittle, would you?! Come on, Google, get it together!
Happy Halloween!
If you make this recipe be sure to snap a pic and tag me @thefoodieandthefix on Instagram so I can check it out! It makes me ridiculously happy to see what you guys are making 🙂
📖 Recipe
Slow-Cooker Pecan-Stuffed Apples with Cinnamon-Peanut Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 small apples
Filling:
- 4 ½ Tbs chopped pecans (about 1.2 oz)
- 3 Tbs rolled oats
- 1 Tbs maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon-Peanut Butter Sauce:
- 1 ½ Tbs peanut butter
- ½ Tbs melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix filling ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- If you'd like to cut out some jack-o-lantern style faces into the sides of your apples, I'd do that first. I just used the tip of a steak knife, but if you have some small pumpkin carving tools, they'd work great here!
- Remove the cores of the apples doing your best to keep the bottom intact. I used an apple corer and made sure not to go all of the way through (though I did go all the way through once... I just cut off the bottom of the core and stuck it back in the bottom, it worked!), then I used a metal measuring spoon (you could probably just use a regular spoon) to scoop out the core. Using the apple corer really just gave me a good guide of how much of the center to remove as I didn't want to remove too much.
- Stuff your apples! For the small size of apples I had, this made EXACTLY the right amount of filling. If your apples are a little bigger, you may need a little more. Just don't forget to adjust your container counts accordingly.
- Put your stuffed apples in your slow cooker with ½ cup of water in the bottom. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or until they are very soft.
- When you're ready to serve, stir together all of the ingredients to the sauce and serve with the apples.
Notes
21 Day Fix Container Counts per Serving: 1 PURPLE, ⅓ BLUE, 1 TSP, 1 teaspoon maple syrup
Weight Watchers Freestyle Points: 4 points with PB Sauce; 2 points without
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 stuffed apple and 1 ¼ teaspoon sauceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 151Total Fat: 8g
Stefanie says
Hi, I just came across this recipe and I'm going to make it for a harvest themed potluck tomorrow. For the apples, do you also peel them, or just remove the cores?
Stephanie says
Hi Stefanie! I just remove the cores.
Kendal says
Can these be frozen or how long would they last after done??
Stephanie says
Hi Kendal! I've never frozen them so I couldn't say for sure, but I think they would be ok. Otherwise I try to use them up in 4-5 days 🙂
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
Dang, let's just say I'm REALLY going back in the archives! 😉 Steph, I have to just say, your enthusiasm about Halloween is really rubbing off on me. And that's saying a lot because I LOVE Halloween. It's probably the best day of the year. Just sayin'.
Girl, who is seriously gonna judge you for juice boxes and storebought treats? Um, I'd say you have more than enough to worry about! Meanwhile, may I mention those super cute meringue ghosts you made?! So... now that I'm asking like 100 months in advance... what are you making for this Halloween?? 🙂 🙂
Great idea for the dentist, our troops and for you! Sweet all around, I'd say. 🙂
Love that you carved Frankenstein on that apple though. So, so unbelievably cute. 🙂
Can't wait to see what you come up with this year. Have a great weekend Steph. xoxo
Stephanie says
Haha, you are going back! I have NO clue what I'm making this Halloween, what with this move closing in on me and such 😉 What about you? Any brilliant Halloweenie ideas on the horizon from my favorite beaming baker? Glad you liked my Franken-Apple! You should have seen the ridiculousness of me carving it. It was pretty hilarious (starting with me googling easy ways to draw Frankenstein and ending with a couple of apples that didn't quite make the cut. There it is folks, my secret's out! Bog Hogs, Demeter, have a great weekend!!
Jessica says
These look amazing! Any tips on how to make them without a slow cooker? I've got a Dutch oven and some free time, but I don't have a slow cooker. 🙂
Stephanie says
Absolutely! You can make them in your dutch oven, exactly as I describe in the recipe and bake them at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on the size of your apples). I was just telling my daughter that we needed to make these this week 🙂
Jerri says
What a yummy looking treat! Thanks for linking up with us for Friday Favorites. I'm featuring you this week!
Stephanie says
Awesome! Thank you so much, Jerri!!