Baked apples on brown rice waffles – the perfect Christmas breakfast
Mom taught me to make a mean baked apple. The gently growing cinnamon sweet scent of it all as they baked slowly in the oven – unbeatable.
Simple enough to make. Core the apples, fill the empty center with raisins and cinnamon, put a little water in the bottom of the pan and pop into the oven.
At the same time, we had to constantly monitor to make sure the pan didn’t dry out too much and burn the apples. And the sniff of burning raisins told us we’d better check in on the project and make some adjustments.
Easy baked apples
I’ve found the perfect solution to the baked-apple challenge that allows me to enjoy one of Mom’s specialties without having to sign off on my demand that cooking be simple and easy with delish results. If these things matter to you too, then I’ve got the perfect answer when it comes to baked apples.
Enter the rice cooker! Here’s what I did:
1) Cored the apples (don’t even need a fancy took, just used a paring knife)
2) Sprinkled cinnamon in the center, then put 2 dates in each apple center
3) Put the apples in the rice cooker and added about 1/2 inch of water
Then all I did was turn the rice cooker on and in about 25 minutes, voila!
These proved to be the perfect topper for this morning’s brown rice waffles. Your favorite waffle or pancake will do – I’m just partial to my brown rice waffles because of the extra crunch they deliver. To make the brown rice waffles, you can use my easy whole grain pancake recipe which you have easy access to in the Plant-Based Blueprint – it’s in the Sampler version, too, downloadable as a gift from the welcome box in the site banner at the top of this page. Just replace half of the whole wheat flour for brown rice flour.
The only thing to be watchful of is to check the apples so they don’t get too mushed out. Rice cookers are designed to trigger finished when grains are cooked, and they don’t have the band width to figure out how this translates to fruit. No worries, just check the apples in 20 minutes or so to check their progress and cook to desired degree of done.
Baked apples for dessert
Dessert has usually been where I put the baked apple course. The breakfast inspiration came as a default. Two nights previous I had the apples all prepared for a baked apple dessert – and then the power went out for two days. When it came on again in the middle of the night, as I arrived in the kitchen this morning it occurred to me – why not cook them NOW? Hopefully you and yours will soon benefit from the creativity our power outtage inspired.
Have you a twist on baking apples to tell about? Or another favorite Christmas breakfast to share? I’d love to hear about it in comments below. And if you try the rice-cooker baked apple method, let me know how it goes. Maybe a new twist. Add some lemon zest? I know, cardamom on with the cinnamon!
Mmmm…. what a great idea! Never thought of the rice cooker. Thanks!
Merry Christmas Lani!
Katherine
Same to you Katherine – let me know how it works out for you if you try it! Always looking for any tips to improve!
Lani
Great idea. What kind of apples did you use? Granny Smith?
Love the idea. How about some nutmeg?
Thanks!
Sophia
Sophia – yes! Granny Smith!
Nutmeg sounds like the perfect addition. Let me know if you try it!
Lani
That sounds fantastic! Never thought of putting them on waffles. I think we’ll try them on my oatmeal waffles for Christmas morning. Thanks for the idea.
Jodie – I had never thought of it either! But as I planned waffles, and started to prepare, I eyed the rice cooker on the counter all ready to go right before the power went out. Flash of genius (not that I have them often! ;-)) – push ON on the rice cooker and decorate the waffles with them! You MUST tell me how it all comes out for you on Christmas!
Lani
Wow! Ricer Cooker worked surprisingly well. Baked apples were delicious over oatmeal PANCAKES. I tried waffles but still can’t figure out how to get the waffle out of the machine without using a non-stick cooking spray, which I refuse to use. So after 2 failed attempts, the batter became pancake batter. Just as good.
Thanks for the idea. Merry Christmas!
Awesome Jodie and thanks so much for reporting back in! I love it that you tried this right away.
Lani
Sounds delish, I don’t have a rice cooker and wondered if a slow cooker turned up high would do the job. It would take longer, but I am going to experiment. On another note, I am really looking forward to the book coming out in ebook format. Is there any word of this. On amazon, it asked if I was interested in that format. I answered yes
Hi Sibyl,
A slow cooker would work great – it would just be a lot slower. Do you have a timer? Ooh, set it to come on in the middle of the night and wake to the aroma of apple pie! I don’t know how many hours to allow – let me know if you figure it out!
YES the book will be available on Kindle and Nook and I don’t know what other e-reader options. I’m trying to find out how soon after release these versions are available. What has been your experience?
Thanks for your post!
Lani
The starch solution was released the same time as the book. I am really looking forward to getting your book. I am 70 years old, hike for an hour most days, teach a seniors yoga class twice a week, and have eaten plant based whole food for two years now. I used to teach a senior fitness class until I switched to yoga and even though there is strength training in yoga, I feel that I missing some vital areas. I also struggle with too much fat (nuts) and too much sugar so I need a kick in the butt.
Sibyl,
When you say ‘the starch solution was released the same time as the book’, to what exactly do you refer? You mean Dr. McDougall’s book? And the same time as….?
Thank you so much for sharing more about YOU – so interesting! You GO on the hiking, that is my abso-fave cardio and what is it like where you hike? Are you in the mountains? Where do you teach yoga? That is the very first thing I taught for fitness a loooong time ago and still teach classes in yoga when I can.
But I agree we need the strength training and you can find ways to build it into yoga, but I’m all for mixing in other options and I think you’ll love the Fit Quickies. And again you’re right – too much fat just mars the progress, it can show up so easily, can’t it?
I can’t wait to get my book into your hands too!
Lani
The ebook was released the same time as the book.
I live in S.W. Ontario on 50 acres of mostly bush and trails. We hike on our hilly trails every day with our 100 lb. plus black lab.
Sibyl – thanks for the details on the ebook release – and the hiking trails!
Wow, sounds so yummy – I am going to give it a try. I just bought a huge bag of apples!
Sherry Lynn – well, how perfect is that? Are they Granny Smiths? I actually have 2 rice cookers, the one I used fit two apples but I think the bigger one I could probably cram 3 into.
Can’t wait to hear about how your apples come out!
Lani
I am going to try that! What a great idea!!!!
Carol, thanks, happy apples to you and I just clicked over to your darling blog. You go! How long have you been publishing on it?
Lani
don’t have rice cooker. I bake two apples in custard cups in Microwave on Hi power. Takes about 6 min. Come out really nice.
Yums Lucille! Thanks for the idea!
yumo Lani, i also make baked apples but usually for a dessert with some custard or yogurt, i core the middle out and stuff some chopped dried apricots and dates and some times a few nuts, then i put into an oven dish with some orange juice and zap in the microwave for 10 minuts then take out cover with foil and bake for 5 or so minuts in the oven, great and yummy, merry xmas to you and your family, cheers Anna
Anna, now I LIKE that apricots idea! Hadn’t thought of that.
Happy holidays to you too! Where are those pics from your last traveling dinner party?
Lani