Stuffed Baked Apples- vegan, sugar free

Piping hot, with your favourite non-dairy cream....yummy!

Our last dessert recipe was shamelessly laden with sugar and calories, but this one is completely the opposite. In fact, it would make just as good a breakfast on a cold morning as it would a pudding. (If you fancy something just a little more decadent, then you could always add a drizzle of maple syrup -recommended for tarter apples- or even some plant milk-based custard.) Nothing can beat the delicious, juicy simplicity of a baked apple with a sweet stuffing! This post is a response to The Peace Patch's lovely collection of baked apple recipes from various blogs... it's always worth dropping by there because every day has a different theme and it's a great place to discover new blogs and get inspired.

 

We found three apples in the fruit basket today, so we made this recipe to serve three:

3 large apples (we used Bramleys, but dessert apples are sweeter)

10 dried dates

1 tab sultanas

2 tsps ground cinnamon

1 tab chopped walnuts

50ml water

• Core the apples, leaving a good-sized hole down the centre and put them in a heatproof oven dish. (I find  ceramic is better than metal for this.)
• Chop the dates and mix together with the sultanas, cinnamon and water in a small pan. Heat until the mixture is soft and all the water is absorbed; this should only take a couple of minutes.
• Pack the stuffing into the apples as tightly as possible and bake at 200C for about 15 minutes, or until the apples are soft and piping hot. You will find that the skin changes colour, and may even split, as in our pictures.
• Serve hot, drizzled with your favourite vegan cream- we used coconut "single cream"; cashew cream and soya pouring cream would also work well.

What's your favourite way to cook baked apples? Do you prefer them sweet or savoury?