Apple Pie (in the apple)

This was such a fun recipe to try out and the presentation was wonderful. I found the recipe on Pinterest and adapted it to make it Gluten & Dairy free. The lighting was not the best this evening so the pictures do not do it justice. The aroma in the kitchen was at it's highest tonight between the mini apple pies and the stuffed butternut squash. I was in heaven.

These little darlings were easy to prepare and tasted even better. I used Gala apples and I tested each one out before buying. By that I mean I made sure they could stand up without falling over. I got some odd stares when I was at Trader Joe's trying the apples out. LOL.

Ingredients for each apple

1 tsp sugar (I used turbinado sugar)

1/2 tbsp all purpose flour (I used almond flour)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg (this was my addition)

*Mix all ingredients together with the diced inside of the apple and place back into the apple bowl*

Instructions for scooping the apple:

• You start by slicing off the top of the apple and scooping out the inside. I found that by scoring the top of the apple then using a small spoon it worked a lot better. You don't want to scoop all the way to the bottom of the apple but make sure to leave enough of the "apple" so it looks like a mini apple bowl. 
• Next take the scooped apple and pick out the seeds and the core
• Dice the remaining apple along with the top that you sliced off
• Mix with above ingredients (in red) and place back into the apple bowl
• Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper
• Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
• Take out after 30 minutes and add the gluten/dairy free crumble topping (recipe below)

Gluten & Dairy Free Crumble Topping Recipe (this recipe yields enough to top 4 to 5 apples)

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (set in glass bowl on stove while apples are cooking. great way to melt the coconut oil)
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons coconut sugar (I used turbinado because that's what I had on hand)
• 1/3 cup Quinoa Flakes 
• Ground cinnamon
• Make crumble topping by combining coconut oil, sugar and Quinoa Flakes until crumbly. Spoon on top of apple pies

Place the crumble on the apple pies after they have been in the oven cooking for 30 minutes. Cook another 15-20 minutes. Any longer than 20 minutes and they start to burn a little.

This really was a fun dessert to make and my guests really enjoyed it. If you can eat dairy then this would also be good with some whipped cream on top or served with a single serving of vanilla ice cream on the side. The original recipe called for pie crust to be cut out in a circle and placed on top of the apple to resemble a traditional apple pie. Who said anything to me about being traditional? 

I went outside the cooking comfort box tonight and discovered a new way to make a traditional dessert. Cut those apron strings and live on the wild side. You might be surprised what's on the other side of that spice jar.