Like so many others, I spent a gorgeous Fall day recently picking apples in a local apple orchard.
When all was said and done, my husband, son, and I filled a bag. It was overflowing, actually, with apples of all different varieties. And everyone was staring and chuckling as we passed them – probably wondering why we were being such apple hogs. What can I say? We love apples.
After the picking was done, we went on a tractor ride around the orchard and indulged in some fresh apple cider.
When we got back home, I was racking my brain trying to figure out what to do with our abundance of juicy red, green, and golden apples. Sure, there’s apple crisp, apple pie, apple bread, apple juice, apple sauce… But I wanted something a little different. And it had to have chocolate – because chocolate goes well with everything.
Suddenly it hit me – Apple Nachos! Michelle, from Find Your Balance Health, has a recipe for Healthy Caramel Apple Nachos that I’ve made in the past for parties and they’re always a huge hit. (She originally posted the recipe on her site here, a few years ago.) I was excited to whip up a quick batch of these again and share them with my family.
Mmmmm… Who am I kidding. I ate most of it. So be warned—these are addicting and will quickly become a favorite for you and your family.
Healthy Caramel Apple Nachos
Ingredients:
6 apples/pears, thinly sliced
1 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup natural peanut butter
½ cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
6 oz. cacao nibs (or dark chocolate chips)
A sprinkling of ground cinnamon
Optional: juice of 1 lemon
Directions:
- Optional: Rub lemon juice onto exposed flesh of apples and pears. This keeps them from turning brown.
- Stir together peanut butter, oil, maple syrup, vanilla and salt to make sauce.
- Layer on a plate (or in a baking dish): fruit, sauce, nuts, coconut, sprinkle of cinnamon, cacao nibs. Repeat with a second layer and keep going until plate is full.
Some Tips From Lisa
- Split the recipe in half in you want to make a smaller batch for 1-2 people, which will last for a few days. I use the full recipe for parties and larger groups of people.
- I LOVE these nachos warm with the chocolate chips slightly melted. Makes them ooey and gooey and oh so delicious. To do this, add a serving or two of Apple Nachos to a baking dish and put into a 300 degree oven for about 8 minutes, or until you see the chocolate begin to melt.
- All of Michelle’s recipes are beyond awesome. Here’s another one of my favorites. You can find a ton of other mouth watering recipes on her site, Find Your Balance Health.
I notice a lot of these recipes call for peanut butter, which often contains mold and toxins. I would suggest a tree nut butter instead. I like hazelnut butter myself.