Toasting walnuts intensifies the flavor, so you use less in recipes. Toasted wheat germ has a natural nutty flavor and, when combined with currants, gives a sweet, rich taste.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
4 large baking apples (Golden Delicious, Rome, or Granny Smith)
1/3 cup dried currants
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons reduced-fat margarine
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons lite maple syrup
1 1/2 cups apple juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup fat-free half & half
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1) In a small bowl, combine walnuts and wheat germ. Place together on tin foil in a single layer and bake for 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside.
2) Using a melon baller, scoop out core of apple. Leave bottom intact. Peel a strip off top quarter of each apple or middle of apple (for decoration). Stand apples in a 8″ X 8″ baking pan. Set aside.
3) In a small bowl, combine walnut/wheat germ mixture, currants, brown sugar, margarine, and cinnamon. Mix into a paste.
4) Fill apple core with about 1 heaping tablespoon of walnut filling. Spoon 1 teaspoon maple syrup into each apple core, drizzling it on top of filling.
5) In a medium bowl, mix together apple juice, honey, and nutmeg. Pour into baking pan with apples. Bake apples uncovered for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until apples are soft when pierced with a fork. Baste several times with apple juice mixture while baking.
6) Let cool 5 minutes. To serve, slice each apple in half, lengthwise. Press any loose filling back into each half. Place on individual dessert plates. Drizzle with warm fat-free half & half and serve immediately. Makes 8 servings, one half apple each.
Nutritional Analysis per serving: 140 Calories; 14 percent fat (2.2 grams); 0 gram saturated fat; 5 percent protein; 81 percent carbohydrate; 3 grams fiber.
