Celebrate fall with Apple Stuffed Pumpkins — crisp apples, syrup, granola, and cinnamon baked in a pie pumpkin. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for added sweetness!

Two great harvest-time foods bake together for a comforting fall dessert. Buy the smallest mini-pumpkins you can find (about the size of a grapefruit), or substitute small sweet dumpling squash. Pumpkins become lush, edible bowls for apple pie filling, sweetened lightly with maple syrup. For a sweet finish, top with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Total Time: 1 hour; 20 minutes active | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 mini-pumpkins
• 4 large apples, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 cup granola
• Ice cream or whipped cream

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly oil a pan large enough to hold the pumpkins upright.
• Slice the off tops of the pumpkins, creating little caps to put on top of the pumpkins once they’re filled. Scoop out the seeds and pulp and discard. Place the pumpkins in the prepared pan.
• In a medium bowl, mix the apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and granola. Stuff the apple filing into the hollowed-out pumpkins. If they are not completely full, top off with a bit of extra granola.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the pumpkins are tender when pierced with a knife.
• Cool slightly on a rack before serving with ice cream or whipped cream. Top with reserved pumpkin caps.

Serving Suggestion

• Serve for dessert after any autumn meal that needs a fun finish!

Nutritional Information

370 calories, 2 g. fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 250 mg. sodium, 85 g. carbohydrate, 14 g. fiber, 8 g. protein