Healthy Baked Apples

“Healthy” never tasted to good! These Healthy Baked Apples are perfect for Fall. They are loaded with goodness and NO SUGAR! The topping gives you a little boost of protein in your dessert! Read on for the recipe!

We can not get enough apples this season! We eat apples all winter long, but there’s something about going straight to the orchard and buying a bushel or a peck. (If you are one of my local peeps, I LOVE Moelker Orchards)

They just taste so fresh and delightful! I love starting the day with this Overnight Oatmeal, or an Apple Pie Smoothie. And Applesauce! I make big batches of applesauce and freeze it for the year.

Fall is a crazy season for us. There just seems to be extra stuff on our calendar. Between my husband and I, we have 6 trips this fall! 3 are his, 3 are mine, I wish I could say we were traveling together, but that’s not the case.

In addition to that, there’s volunteer commitments, conferences, and 5 birthdays! Which really I can say 4, because I don’t plan anything for my own.

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We’ve toned it back quite a bit with the birthdays so that helps. We’ve gone out to eat or out to dessert which just lightens my load a bit. We’ve also started doing bigger family experiences instead of gifts. Don’t worry, I’m not depriving my kids, they were in full agreement. 🙂

But I digress, let’s get to the Healthy Baked Apples. I think my point with all that is this:  You’re never too busy to enjoy this dessert. Slow yo’self down and just enjoy. 🙂 #preachingtomyself

Healthy Baked Apples

Now, I hope the fact that I said “healthy” doesn’t turn you off. I just love having better for you options. I love serving dessert that actually has benefits for you and doesn’t just sugar you up. I promise, these are delightful.

They’re also easy, so bonus! Of course we know apples are good for you, but the secret is in the sauce. Okay that is so cliche’, I shouldn’t have said it.

However, this creamy vanilla yogurt sauce has protein in it, and guess what. No sugar added to this dish! There will be some in the yogurt that naturally occurs. Depending on what kind of yogurt you buy, there may be added sugar there.

So you just have to decide what’s best for you. I’ll give you my version here, but check the notes for substitutions.

Best Picks for Healthy Baked Apples~

I used Graham Spy’s for this recipe for 2 reasons. First, they were in season when other varieties weren’t ready yet. And second, they are sweet, sweet enough that you don’t need to add sugar.

They are also great for pies, sauce, and dried apples. Other apples that work this this recipe:

• Jonagold
• Honeycrisp
• Braeburn
• Mutsu (Crispin)
• Winesap
• Pink Lady

These all hold up well to baking, they stay firm and won’t turn to mush. They all have very different flavors though. So, if you’re aiming to not add sugar, go with the Graham Spy, Honeycrisp or Mutsu.

If you like a more tart apple, go with the Jonagold. A good blend of both tart and sweet is the Pink Lady, and the Winesap has a deep cider-y flavor.

Other Must-Have Apple Recipes~

• Maple Apple Crisp
• Salted Caramel Apple Oatmeal
• Apple Cider Pork Chops
• German Apple Pancakes
• Oatmeal Apple Cookies
• Kale Apple Salad with Cheddar & Pecans
• Sautéed Chicken Apples & Rosemary

P.S. For my Trim Healthy Mama Friends– This is on plan! Make sure you eat it after an E meal. The yogurt does offer some protein, but probably not enough to stand on it’s own. So, if you’re just craving something sweet, add more yogurt or another protein source to amp it up. You could put some collagen in your yogurt sauce to increase protein.

Healthy Baked Apples

Baked apples stuffed with pecans and cinnamon and topped with a creamy vanilla yogurt sauce.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 162kcal

Author: Chellie Schmitz

Ingredients

• 4 Graham Spy Apples read post for other apple choices
• 4 tsp chopped pecans
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp apple pie spice
• 2-3 tbsp Almond Milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 tsp stevia based sweetener, such as truvia If not using Truvia, refer to a conversion chart for proper measurements.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350

For the apples

• Using an apple corer, take out the cores of the apples. Make sure you don't go all the way through the bottom. Aim for 2/3rd of the apple.
• Place the cored apples in an 8x8 baking dish. Fill each hole with 1 tsp chopped pecans and 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
• Put 1/2 tsp coconut oil on the top of each filled apple. Pour 1/2 cup of water in the bottom of the baking dish and bake for 45-60 minutes.

For the sauce

• Combine the yogurt, vanilla extract, Truvia, and apple pie spice, mix well. Add Almond milk 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency (should be like a sauce that will drizzle) 
• After apples are finished baking, remove from the oven, plate it, and serve with yogurt sauce drizzled over the top. Add additional chopped pecans and apple pie spice as optional garnish.

Notes

This apple corer is a great tool and will make your life easier!

If you don't want to fuss with making your own Vanilla Yogurt Sauce, you can substitute vanilla Greek yogurt. Omit the sweetener and vanilla extract, but keep the apple pie spice

 

 

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 246mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 8.3mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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