Pumpkin usually steals the show, but two of the best fall flavors are apple and cinnamon.
With the proper preparation, they feel just right this time of year, too.
Raw fruits and veggies tend to have cooling effects, and apples are no exception. Raw apples promote coldness, dryness, and their tart, tangy flavor (and crisp bite) gives them a cleansing and refreshing vibe. But when apples are cooked, they have an entirely different feel.
Cooked apples are sweeter, more warming and easier to digest. Cinnamon adds to that. Its strong, slightly sweet, punchy but earthy essence is warming and grounding. The cooked apple and cinnamon combo is wonderful as temperatures cool.
So, here’s a recipe that you might enjoy. It’s super moist, thanks to lots of apple chunks, applesauce and equal parts oil and plain yogurt. Other highlights: It’s full of fall spice and made with white whole wheat flour (my go-to because it has the health perks of whole wheat, but it cooks more like white flour).
Whether you give this recipe a try or do something else with cooked apples and cinnamon (the options are endless), I hope you enjoy the taste of autumn. I think it’s the most distinctively fun and flavorful time of year!
Apple-Cinnamon Bread
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon (or less to taste)
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons ground flax (if you have it)
2 eggs
¼ cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup plain yogurt
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
Topping (optional)
2 tablespoons rolled oats
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and flax. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar.
Whisk the yogurt and applesauce into the egg mixture, and then gently stir in the dry ingredients. Fold in the apples. Transfer batter to the loaf pan.
Mix the topping ingredients, if using, and sprinkle them over the batter. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (I had to cook mine for an additional 20 minutes or so in my new oven, so times will vary, but the knife trick works well.)
Note: If you don’t have applesauce, slice and core an extra apple and boil it until soft. Run the cooked slices under cool water, remove the skins, and mash the slices. A large apple yields about ½ cup.
From “Nourishing Your Whole Self: A Cookbook With Feelings” by Marci Izard, used by permission of the publisher, Pelican Publishing Co., Inc.
