Stuffed apple crunch ~ (grain-free, gluten-free)

The sweet fragrant smell of warm apples & cinnamon filling the air… it’s one of my all-time favourite smells, instantly captivating and drawing me into a fall festivities state of mind. Crisp autumn days, cozying up in a knit blanket with a warm, stuffed cinnamon apple and a good book… the best! 🙂

I went apple picking last week, which meant of course I had to stock up! I returned home with a huge bushel of macouns, golden delicious, mcintosh, spartan, and my beloved fave, cortland ♥ I’ll be eating apples every day for the next 2 months maybe! Thus, apple recipe-creating is in full force!

This month I’ll be sharing several of my fave apple recipes and I’m so excited about this first one which tastes like pure indulgence.

I have made grain-free stuffed apples in the past using just nuts but I was craving something a little different this time (plus I hadn’t soaked & dehydrated any nuts ahead of time!) I have always loved this gluten-free sprouted buckwheat mix whenever I’m craving something deliciously crunchy and got the idea to incorporate this as my stuffing base. I was literally jumping up and down whilst grabbing ingredients and tossing them together. I LOVE the spontaneity of creating something with limited ingredients. It feels like a little science experiment… what will happen if I add some of this in?

Anyway…

I LOVED how this turned out! I’m sure you will love it too and I encourage you to come up with your own stuffing creation if any ingredient here doesn’t work for you.

Be aware… this is a SWEET treat most definitely, so throw this together when you’re in a dessert kind of mood. It’s great warm out of the oven or as a cold breakfast paired with some yoghurt.

++

Stuffed Apple Crunch

Ingredients:

4 cortland apples (these bake really well but feel free to use a different variety if you prefer)
3/4 cup sprouted buckwheat (I used this mix which came out great & I recommend!)
Add-ins – raisins, figs, other dried fruit, coconut flakes (the mix I used contained these so I did not add additional)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
sprinkle of sea salt
1 big scoop crunchy almond butter
2 tbsp butter

1. Wash and core the apples. If you don’t have an apple corer (I didn’t), you can use a small paring knife to cut a circle around the apple stem. Dig the knife around the core in a circle and then scoop out the seeds & core, leaving the bottom part of the apple still intact so it can hold stuffing. Set cored apples in a baking dish.

2. Mix together the buckwheat, add-ins, maple syrup, cinnamon, sea salt and almond butter. Try not to eat all the stuffing at this point… it’s delicious!

3. Fill the apples with stuffing. Divide the butter into 4 even amounts and place on top of the stuffing.

4. Pour some filtered water in the bottom of the baking dish (just enough to cover the bottom)

5. Bake in oven for 35 – 45 minutes. Keep an eye on the apples to make sure the stuffing doesn’t get burnt.

6. Remove from oven. Drizzle apples with maple syrup and cinnamon, and they are ready to eat!

Nothing like a warm, stuffed apple… 🙂

What’s your favourite fall treat? Do you LOVE apples as much as I do? I’d love to know how this recipe goes for you!

---