Apple Dip Ups the Ante Hey Shuga! sweetness of sugarcane

Apples are oh so in. The calendar reads they are the seasonal fruit and to chop’em, slice’em, bake’em, cover in caramel and nut topping, or bask in the glory of the detoxifying elements and eat them plain or simply coat the slices in cinnamon.

Whatever you do, don’t serve them up with plain Jane peanut butter, the apples long time evident protein partner.

Here’s an equally as healthy of a dip to decorate the slices with for anyone who can’t go about their affairs without the crutch of chocolate and who wants the pleasure of all of that peanut butter protein.

img_08991Take a tablespoon of coconut oil and melt in a pan on the stovetop. Take a large spoon and add your favorite all natural creamy peanut butter. I didn’t measure because measuring peanut butter is as fun as … (insert a task you dread here). Stir, stir, stir and grab a regular sized spoon and add the unsweetened cocoa powder. I splashed in about a teaspoon of vanilla and I added a splash of this unrefined, vegan friendly, gluten free sweetener I snagged at the grocery store.

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Hey Shuga! A Balanced Sweetener for a Balanced Life made from the sweetness of the sugarcane, the warmth of the Caribbean, and the passion of hard working people.

The sugarcane blasts the bitterness of Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa without having to add chocolate chips. I melted all of the ingredients together and then stirred in Bob’s Red Mill Old-Fashioned gluten-free, Kosher certified, vegan rolled oats (about 2/3 Cups) until the compactness of this chocolate concoction was consummated. If you opt out of oats unsweetened coconut flakes will create a neat consistency.

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I served up one generous spoonful of the deceptive snack with the slices of half of an organic Fuji apple. You can adjust the amount depending on the horde of hungry individuals around.

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Josie is an award-winning journalist and healthy eating enthusiast.

Contrivance of the Caramel Apple fancy with the fall fruit

I always saw the caramel apples for sale at the local grocer and from non-profit organizations covered in candied confections. The sugar and various nuts which had been applied perfectly to the apple. I wondered how did the creators apply the coating?

What did they use? Was this modus operandi as all-consuming as cutting out holiday sugar cookies?

There isn’t any way of knowing without setting out to make the seasonal staple.

The primary course of action is to pick out the apples. Did you know there are over 1,800 varieties according to Orange Pippin? Including this last one on the list, Zuccalmaglio’s Reinette Apple which is described as flavored with tones of wild strawberry, quince, pineapple, ripe pear and a pine floral touch.

I am a simple island woman and went with organic Red Delicious and a couple of Galas which are the most commonly grown and eaten due to their sweet deliciousness from the produce section at the grocery store.

img_0399I grabbed the Concord Foods Original Caramel Apple Wrap, a cranberry burst trail mix and a package of sixty-two percent cacao dark baking chips. Plus, a package of walnut chunks.

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I also picked up a package of finely chopped, unsalted peanuts. Invest in colorful ingredients which will delight you and your crowd.

At home I removed the cashews from the trail mix leaving just the dried cranberries and almonds and added the walnuts and dark cacao bits. I chopped all of this up finely on a cutting board.img_0397Wash and dry the apples. Take a sheet of the caramel and fold over the apple while the oven preheats to two-hundred degrees. Place the white apple sheets on a baking sheet and then stick a wooden stick in the center of each apple and place on top of the paper-covered sheet. Bake for five minutes.

I removed the apples individually from the oven to work with so I could keep the caramel soft. Then, with some pressure, stuck the homemade trail mix onto the apple. This took some time and the mix does keep falling off during the process. I alternated from the cranberry-cacao mix to plain peanuts and left a few plain caramel.

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I placed the candy-coated apples back in the oven for ten minutes. The textured mixtures created an edible arrangement so eye-popping that for Fall 2017 someone might just find me out in an Ohio apple orchard.

img_0402Here’s a list of where to go east of the Lake Erie Islands, and these are the orchards located west. These Ohio orchards are all located just off of the Coastal Ohio Trail.

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Josie is an award-winning journalist. Her first job out of college included a TV Show “Cooking with Chef Rocco and the Inn at Eaglesticks”