Warm Apple Walnut Cobbler
Serves 6 · 30 min active · 1 hr total · autumn
Ingredients
Apple base
5-6 medium apples (Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Gala), thinly sliced
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
Date caramel
13-16 Medjool dates, pitted
½ cup grass-fed, full-fat goat or cow milk (preferably raw), plus more as needed
1–2 tbsp coconut oil, grass-fed butter, or ghee
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
optional: 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Nut crumble topping
1 cup walnuts
1 cup almonds
1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
2 tbsp coconut nectar (or pure maple syrup or local honey)
1 tbsp coconut sugar (optional, for extra crunch)
To serve
whipped raw, grass-fed cream (or whipped coconut cream)
a few extra sliced apples
fresh thyme or mint sprigs
Method
Soak the dates. Cover the pitted dates with hot water for 10-15 minutes until soft, then drain.
Prep the apples. In a large bowl, toss the thinly sliced apples with the lemon juice and cinnamon.
Sauté. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apple mixture and sauté 5–8 minutes, until the apples soften but still hold their shape.
Transfer to a baking dish (8×8 or similar).
Make the date caramel. Place all the caramel ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender and process until smooth and creamy. Add more milk a tablespoon at a time only if needed. You want it thick but spreadable, like soft nut butter, since the apples release their own juice as they bake.
Pour the caramel evenly over the apple base, spreading it across the top with a spatula.
Make the crumble. In a food processor, pulse the walnuts and almonds until roughly chopped (some texture remaining).
Add the cinnamon, salt, and coconut nectar, and pulse to combine.
Assemble and bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Sprinkle the nut crumble evenly over the date-caramel-covered apples.
Optional: dust a little extra cinnamon and the coconut sugar on top.
Bake 18 minutes, until the crumble is golden and fragrant.
Cool 10 minutes. Serve warm with whipped raw cream (or whipped coconut cream) and a few fresh apple slices.
Whipped cream: Whip cold raw cream with ½ tsp vanilla and a drizzle of maple syrup until soft peaks form. For whipped coconut cream, chill a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight, scoop the solid cream off the top (save the water for smoothies), and whip it with ½ tsp vanilla and 1 tsp maple syrup until fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
Nourishment Notes
Apples — pectin (a gentle, gut-friendly fiber) and quercetin, concentrated in the skin, so leave it on.
Medjool dates — potassium, magnesium, copper, and fiber-bound natural sweetness.
Walnuts — ALA omega-3s, polyphenols, and magnesium.
Almonds — vitamin E, magnesium, and monounsaturated fats.
Grass-fed milk and butter — fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K2, plus calcium. Goat's milk carries mostly A2-type casein, which many people find easier to digest.
Ceylon cinnamon — cinnamaldehyde and blood-sugar support. True Ceylon cinnamon is much lower in coumarin than common cassia cinnamon.
Coconut oil — lauric acid, a medium-chain fat, plus a gentle coconut aroma in virgin oil.
Fresh lemon — vitamin C, which also keeps the apples bright.
As a circadian treat, this lands best in the afternoon, when the body handles natural sugars most gracefully in daylight.
Storage: Refrigerator up to 4 days. Reheat at 300°F for 8 minutes to recrisp the topping.
Sourcing
Apples — organic, from a local orchard or farmers' market (conventional apples carry some of the highest pesticide residues of any fruit)
Medjool dates — organic, soft, and plump
Walnuts — organic, raw or sprouted, and kept in the fridge so their delicate oils stay fresh
Almonds — organic and unpasteurized; U.S. almonds are pasteurized by law even when labeled "raw," so look for Spanish almonds such as Terrasoul's
Milk — raw, full-fat goat's or cow's milk from a small pasture-raised dairy, or Kalona SuperNatural (grass-fed, low-temp vat-pasteurized, non-homogenized)
Grass-fed butter or ghee — cultured butter from 100% grass-fed cows, raw butter from a local dairy, or Ancient Organics ghee
Raw cream (for whipping) — from a small pasture-raised dairy
Coconut oil — organic, virgin, and unrefined
Coconut nectar — organic, with nothing added; Coconut Secret makes one from coconut blossom sap
Maple syrup — organic, Grade A dark
Honey (optional) — local and unfiltered (it's baked here, so any good local honey works)
Coconut sugar (optional) — organic
Coconut milk (optional, for whipped coconut cream) — full-fat, with just coconut and water; Native Forest Simple comes in BPA-free cans
Ceylon cinnamon — true Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) from Sri Lanka, organic and non-irradiated
Vanilla — pure vanilla extract with no added sugar, or a whole vanilla bean
Lemons — organic
Baja Gold sea salt
— Anna aka Food Marshall