SLOW COOKED APPLES

Last fall one of my neighbours gave me a bag of apples from their backyard tree. I knew these apples were for cooking as they were softer apples. They came with a few spots as they were not sprayed which is great. These apples can be used in a variety of ways.

In talking to a friend, she suggested cooking these apples in a slow cooker and to cook them so that they are still in chunks and not pureed like apple sauce. She provided me with a recipe that she was going to use that she got from a friend. I tweaked the recipe and was able to cook the 20 apples. I used Splenda and not sugar in the recipe. The nice thing about this recipe is that you leave the skins on the apples so there is less work to prep them. The caramel syrup is the kind you use when making flavoured coffee drinks. I stirred the apples once they finished cooking to make them more like sauce than chunks. 

I froze some of these cooked apples in one or two cup portions and kept a container in the fridge to enjoy for the week. 

Apples placed in the slow cooker.

After the first hour of cooking.

After three hours of cooking.

Stirred it more to create a bit more puree than chunks. 

INGREDIENTS:

20 apples or enough to fill the crock of a slow cooker
1 to 2 tbsp cinnamon (I used 1 tbsp)
1 tsp nutmeg
dash of cardamom (optional)
2 tbsp sugar or Splenda
2 tbsp regular or sugar free caramel flavour syrup
3/4 cup of water

DIRECTIONS:

Core and cut into quarters or eights each apple. Place into the slow cooker. After all the apples have been placed into the crock, add the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, sugar and syrup. Mix well. Add the water and stir. Set the slow cooker to high and cook for two hours. Reduce the heat to low for the third hour. Every half hour or so, stir the apples while they are cooking. If the apples require more cooking, keep cooking until you have the desired consistency. 

CHERRY CRISP WITH A NUT DATE TOPPING

In looking to make a dessert that is somewhat paleo and to use some of the frozen sour cherries from last summer, I decided to make cherry crisp with a different topping than what I have tried before. I combined recipes from previous posts and a topping from paleorunningmomma. The topping is different as it uses mainly dates and walnuts with a small amount of almond flour. The dates provide a nice sweetness to the topping.

For sugar in the filling, I used erythritol which is a natural sweetener and has a low glycemic index. I used tapioca starch in the filling as the cherries were frozen and I know they would have a lot of juice once thawed. After baking it, I should have added more tapioca starch than two and a half tablespoons. I would have preferred it to have less juice once baked. I had both pecans and walnuts in the pantry and decided to use walnuts. 

This recipe is a nice change from an almond flour based topping. 

Starting to add the topping.

Crisp covered with topping and ready to bake.

Cooling off after baking.

DIRECTIONS:

Filling:

4 cups of fresh or frozen pitted cherries

¼ cup white sugar or splenda

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tsp almond extract

1/8 tsp salt

2 ½ tbsp ground almond flour or tapioca starch

Topping:

1 cup pitted dates softened*

1 cup raw walnuts or pecans

1/3 cup almond flour

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. To make the topping, combine the softened dates, walnuts, almond flour and vanilla in a food processor and process on high until a crumbly paste forms.
3. Place the cherries in a large bowl and add the sugar, almond extract, salt and almond flour or tapioca starch. Combine well.
4. Grease a 1.5 quart baking dish and add the filling mixture. 
5. Generously sprinkle the crumb topping over the berries using the entire mixture.
6. Cover the top with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and continue to bake another 15 to 20 minutes until the fruit is hot and bubbly and the top begins to brown and turn crispy. If using frozen cherries, you will have to gauge the time as it might need more time to bake. I baked it for about 50 minutes.
7. Remove from oven, allow to cool and serve warm. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator. 
8. Serves 6 to 8 depending on appetites. 

Recipe Notes

*To soften the dates, soak them in a small amount of hot water for one to two minutes, then drain.

Recipe is a combination of ones already posted on this blog and paleorunningmomma for the topping.