This date-based, no-sugar-added caramel sauce does double duty by sweetening both the apple filling and the crumbly topping. Use a crisper variety of apple, such as Pink Lady, Jazz, or Honeycrisp, for best results. Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream for a nice warm/cold contrast. This recipe is from Practically Raw,* copyright © 2012 Amber Shea Crawley. Used by permission, Vegan Heritage Press.
Serves: 9
For the apples:
- 3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the caramel:
- 1 ¼ cups pitted dates, soaked for 15 to 30 minutes and drained
- 1 cup Almond Milk
- 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
For the topping:
- 1 cup dry walnuts
- 1 cup dry almonds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of sea salt
For the apples: Combine the apples, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and toss to coat.
For the caramel: Combine all caramel ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Reserve ¼ cup of the caramel mixture and set aside; add the remainder to the sliced apples and toss to coat well. Transfer the apple mixture to an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan (or similar-sized dish) greased with coconut oil.
For the topping: Pulse all topping ingredients in a food processor until coarsely ground. Drizzle in the reserved ¼ cup of caramel and pulse several more times to combine. Drop the topping mixture by the spoonful over the apples.
Make It Raw: Dehydrate for 4 to 6 hours; serve warm. Alternatively, serve as is, room temperature or chilled.
Make it Baked: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Move to a wire rack to let cool slightly; serve warm.
Substitutions:
- Apples: Pears
- Almond Milk: any other nondairy milk
- Walnuts: pecans
- Almonds: hazelnuts or pecans
- Here are more apple recipes on VegKitchen.
- Here are more Fruity Baked Goods.
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Mary Ann says
I just made the Warm Apple-Walnut Cobbler but won't be serving it for three days. Is it possible to freeze this recipe and if so, would it be best to freeze before or after baking it. Thanks so much!
Nava says
Hi Mary Ann, sorry I didn't get to answer your question right away. It would be best to bake this first, as the apples can get brown and mushy once they're cut up and refrigerated. I hope you were able to figure this out without me, and I hope it thaws out well, as I've never tried to freeze it.