Have you noticed it too? The mornings are getting crisper, the evenings are cooler, and of course everywhere you go you see pumpkin featured items. Whether it’s the lattes and bagels or decorations in stores and friend’s homes, the pumpkin craze is here, and it is here to stay for the next several months. There’s no better way to start the ‘ber months than with a cup of warm pumpkin coffee – unless you are not the biggest pumpkin person.
During this time of fall festivities, the pumpkin shenanigans can be a bit overwhelming and maybe even (dare I say as a pumpkin spice girl for life) over the top. If you are a fall fanatic who still wants to treat yourself to the seasonal sweetness during this time, as the “treat yourself” queen I’ve got you covered.
Here are 5 delicious, simple, healthier versions of some apple inspired items that you may prefer to enjoy during the pumpkin craze these next few months. You might even convince a couple of your fellow pumpkin devotees that these apple recipes need to be included in their fall treat rotation too.
Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats
This overnight recipe will not only serve you a delicious morning treat, but it will make your home smell like you just woke up in an apple farm. I love that it is so simple and works on the side of your breakfast plate, paired with some eggs or other high protein of choice, to create a yummy but balanced morning meal.
Ingredients:
- 1 large diced apple, or 2 small (honey crisp or cosmic)
- 2 cups organic rolled oats
- 3 cups of milk of choice
- 1 Tbsp of honey
- 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients into a crockpot. You will use the setting “keep warm” over night, to get that overnight oats feel to it. If you prefer to have this later in the day, set crockpot to low for 2-3 hours.
- You can top with a nut butter or chopped nuts. If you are really trying to show off, use a little caramel drizzle.
Apple Crisp-licious
When I think of dessert that includes apples, a warm apple crisp or crumble comes to mind right away. While this one may call for a few more steps and ingredients, I stumbled upon it and have fallen in love. It’s from the Ambitious Kitchen’s food blog and is a healthier alternative as it contains half the sugar and calories from your traditional apple crisp recipe. Lucky for you, I have shared everything you need to make it below.
Ingredients:
For the topping:
- 1/3 cup flour of choice
- 1/2 cup organic old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup raw chopped pecans
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into very small cubes
For filling:
- 5-6 medium Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon bourbon (or pure vanilla extract)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8x8 pan.
- Combine all topping ingredients 1-6 in a large bowl. Add in the pieces of butter and use hands to mix together all ingredients until it is crumbly and will look like wet sand.
- Put the mixture in the fridge and start the filling.
- Toss all filling ingredients into a bowl and once combined, let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Use 1/3 cup of your topping mixture and combine with the filling. Spread this on your pan and use the remaining topping to sprinkle on top evenly.
- Best to bake on top of a baking sheet in case of a top over mess.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes.
- Eat warm with your favorite vanilla ice cream.
For more details on this yummy recipe, check out Monique Volz’s blog.
Apple Muffins
There is something about muffins and fall that reminds me of peanut butter and jelly. The two just always work and it is simply amazing. Muffins with coffee, muffins with tea, muffins on the go, muffins with juice, and just pretty much any other thing you can imagine. A muffin always sounds like a good idea. These muffins are easy to make, and you can enjoy them as a lovely slow morning treat, or grab and go for a tasty fall treat on a busy day.
Ingredients:
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp egg whites
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 1 Tbsp of honey
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla or maple extract
- 7. /4 cup coconut oil (melted)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 finely diced apples
- ¼ cup almond milk
Instructions:
- All you need is one bowl and mix all ingredients together.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Greas muffin tin pan.
- Fill each tin just about ¾ full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until you can stick a fork in there and it comes out clean.
- Let sit and cool for 1 hour before enjoying.
Baked Cinnamon Apples
This one is for my busy working ladies (or lads) who want to join in on the apple fun but just can’t find time to whip out the mixing bowl. This is so simple and you can still feel good about using your own ingredients with the delicious apple flavors we all crave at this time of the year.
Ingredients:
- 7 Apples sliced and peeled
- ½ cup coconut or cane sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 3 tbs arrowroot powder
- 2 tbs butter
Instructions:
- Mix ingredients 1-6 together and put into crockpot.
- Place butter on top and leave it to melt while it cooks.
- Cook on high for 3 hours.
- Enjoy with ice cream or as a sweet side dessert.
Apple Cinnamon Latte
You know I couldn’t leave you hanging. Let’s be real – pumpkin spice lattes are practically thrown in our face the moment summer is considered “over”. What I love most about this Apple Cinnamon Latte is that it contains half the calories of a typical Pumpkin Spice Latte, so as an apple lover you can count this as a win this fall. I found this over on butteroverbae.com and it is one of the easiest homemade lattes I have come across. Don’t worry, it’s not one of those TikTok recipes that contains over 20 something ingredients. It is quite simple and you can taste apple from first sip without suffering from the sugar hangover.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium apple sliced
- 2 tsp honey
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- A few pinches of ground coffee granules (depending how strong you like it, I personally add in more).
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup milk of choice
Instructions
- Add ingredients 1-4 into a sauce pan.
- Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes and switch to low heat for 5 minutes.
- Turn flames off and hand blend the apples.
- Use a strainer to separate the liquid and grounds.
- In a new sauce pan add in milk and put flame on medium heat until milk turns into a foam.
- Add in the apple sauce and whisk for 3 more minutes.
- Pour into a mug and top with any whip cream and cinnamon powder, enjoy!
For more details on this latte, check out this blog.
1. Allison Webster, P. (2020, June 25). The power of protein: Dairy. Food Insight. https://foodinsight.org/the-power-of-protein-dairy/. Accessed 19 September, 2024.
2. Monique. (2022, October 5). The best healthy apple crisp recipe. Ambitious Kitchen. https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/healthy-apple-crisp. Accessed 19 September, 2024.
