Baked Apples Topped with Granola, Honey, and Cinnamon

Picking apples. Leaves. Boots. Pumpkin Patches. Scarves. Football. Farmers Markets. 

On any given Saturday during the month of October, I’d bet my money that the list above is what I scroll past on my Instagram feed to a T.

AND I LOVE IT.

Maybe I’m just getting older and a little more sentimental (lol I sound like I’m 80) but I just love seeing the seasons change here in Midwest Ohio. We get to see it all! Although I’m not the biggest fan of winter, I do get the warmy-fuzzies when I heat up a mug of cinnamon coffee and watch Christmas movies in my fluffy socks. Because this is the first fall I’ve experienced while running my blog, I’m using it as an excuse for testing allll of the seasonal recipes. For October, that means pumpkin and apples!

[See last week’s Pumpkin Mini-Donuts here. I’ll admit I’ve made 4 batches this year and don’t plan on stopping there].

I’ve been looking for any reason to use my new cast-iron pan, and apples are the perfect subject for an easy and relatively healthy dessert. And who doesn’t have dozens of apples sitting around during autumn? I know you all love apple picking. Insta doesn’t lie. Let’s put those apples to use!

First, I warmed my coconut oil just a little bit so that I could easily rub it around the inside of my cast-iron pan. Then, I cut 2 of my apples in half (depending on the size of your cast-iron pan, you can fit more. Mine is an 8-inch and 2 apples squeeze in pretty tight) and cored the middles. I slices the apples very thin and placed them flat-side-down on the cast-iron pan.

Then, I sprinkled cinnamon, drizzled honey, and poured on Whirlybird Granola all over the applies. I was fairly generous with my amounts- swimsuit season is over, after all 🙂

Let’s pause here for a sec and talk about Whirlybird Granola. I loove being able to support local businesses and buy anything I can from Ohio-sourced companies, and I was stoked when I found Whirlybird Granola in stores near me (Columbus, Ohio). The granola is made in Cincinnati and uses Ohio-grown maple syrup in their recipe. Their three different flavors, Original, Vanilla Berry, and Chocolate, are all gluten free, honey free, and vegan. Oh, and did I mention that they’re all amazing?!

The very first time I was able to try the granola was when I won a contest on Instagram through @columbus_foodie (YES, food bloggers enter giveaways too!!). I was super impressed when I received an email after winning the giveaway from the Owner and President of the company, Christy White. How cool is that? It really shows that they care about the consumers- all the way up to the top. Thank you Whirlybird!

Anyways, back to the food. Once you have your sliced apples covered in toppings of choice, pop them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. I just kept an eye on my apples and when the tops started to brown and the honey started to bubble, I pulled them out and let them cool. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you’re feeling extra frisky.

Check out the full recipe below, and I hope you enjoy!