An easy 5-ingredient recipe for an irresistible dessert made in your slow cooker! Naturally sweetened, full of cozy cinnamon & absolutely guilt-free!
This past April, I flew to Michigan for a retreat on Muskegon Lakewith 14 other food bloggers. Yes, food bloggers attend conferences and retreats, just like people in other more traditional professions! Since the majority of us work from home and mainly interact with our food blogger friends online, seeing as we’re spread out across the country (and sometimes around the world!), it always feels incredibly special to meet and spend time together in person.
During our first night in the lakefront mansion, I met Gina, the blogger behind Skinnytaste: an absolutely gorgeous lady from New York with an even sweeter personality. Over the next few days, she and I chatted quite a bit in between sessions and during meals, and the topic of her second cookbook came up during one of our conversations.
Because she loves healthy food as much as I do (and she posts the full nutrition and Weight Watchers information for all of her recipes as well!), I eagerly asked her a million questions about her cookbook. She explained that each of the 137 recipes required minimal prep, and you either finished them right then with a fairly short amount of cooking time or tossed all of the ingredients into a slow cooker. Either way, you ended up with a healthy and extremely flavorful dish with only a few minutes of work—no spending hours in the kitchen to make it!
I quickly typed in a reminder on my phone to buy the cookbook as soon as it came out. That sounded like the perfect solution to me! I spend so many hours in my kitchen nearly every day already, baking for Amy’s Healthy Baking and washing those dishes, so I often lack the energy to cook dinner in the evenings. I needed Gina’s cookbook right that very second, so waiting until this fall has been pure torture!
But two weeks ago, a surprise package arrived on my doorstep… My very own copy of Gina’s Skinnytaste Fast and Slow: Knockout Quick-Fix and Slow Cooker Recipes Cookbook! Wasn’t that sweet of her?? I slowly flipped through every page, admiring the healthy recipes and gorgeous photographs, and I absolutely loved her detailed one-month meal plan. So helpful!
Although every recipe looked incredibly tempting, I flipped to the back of the cookbook to pick the first one I wanted to try. (Dessert is basically my favorite meal of the day!) This Healthy Slow Cooker Crustless Apple Pie à la Mode immediately caught my eye, and just a few hours later, my entire kitchen smelled like warm cinnamon and juicy apples—the best cozy fall aroma! Even better? The recipe requires just 5 regular pantry ingredients, and it couldn’t be any easier to make!
But come to think of it… That could be pretty dangerous, especially with my sweet tooth!
Since the recipe itself is so simple, let’s just talk briefly about two key things. To start, the apples! You’ll use firm red apples, and I personally love Fuji apples. They’re already really sweet on their own, so you’ll only need to add a hint of maple syrup. Gina suggests Honeycrisp, and Gala and Braeburn apples would work as well.
You’ll cut those apples into ¼”-thick slices. It’s important to make all of the slices the same thickness so they bake evenly in your slow cooker! If they’re thicker than ¼”, they’ll take a little longer to turn soft and tender, whereas thinner slices will reach that point slightly sooner.
Note: I left the peel on because (a) I’m lazy and couldn’t want to eat my dessert and (b) it has extra nutrients, but Gina recommends peeling the apples. It’s entirely up to you!
And the second thing we need to chat about? The slow cooker! I usedthis 5-quart slow cooker. It’s very inexpensive and does a great job. (And I’ve used the same slow cooker to create all of these slow cooker recipes on my blog, too!) A 6-quart slow cooker would work as well.
I topped mine with a scoop of my 25-minute healthy vanilla ice cream, and oh my goodness… I wanted to dive right back into the slow cooker and eat another serving! To help control my temptation, I offered some to my dad, who opted to eat his over Greek yogurt for breakfast the follow morning. And the next morning… And the one after that…
With how much we loved this recipe, her cookbook has already become a family favorite! ♥
And because I adore Gina’s cookbook so much, I’m giving away a copy of the Skinnytaste Fast and Slow Cookbook to one lucky reader! To enter, just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter box below. It sometimes takes a few minutes to load, so be patient! After logging in with your email address or Facebook account, enter using as many options as you’d like.
*Skinnytaste Fast and Slow Giveaway will be open until 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time on October 26, 2016. Open to the US only. Must be 18 years or older and have a valid email address to enter. Winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond, or else a new winner will be selected.
And when you make this recipe, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #skinnytastefastandslow and #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy slow cooker crustless apple pie!
| Healthy Slow Cooker Crustless Apple Pie à la Mode | 4.9 from 16 reviews |
©: Amy's Healthy Baking
Yields: 8 servings
This super easy recipe is a perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth without any guilt! It requires minimal prep, and it fills your house with the most irresistible aroma of cozy cinnamon and juicy apples. Leftovers will keep for at least a week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (And I highly recommend serving some over Greek yogurt for a quick and healthy breakfast treat!)
- 2 ¼ pounds (1020g) ¼”-thick apple slices (about 6 large)
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- 1 ½ tbsp (12g) cornstarch
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- vanilla ice cream, for serving (I recommend my 25-minute healthy vanilla ice cream!)
- Add the apples, maple syrup, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a 5-quart slow cooker, and gently toss with a spatula until the apples are evenly coated with the other ingredients. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or LOW for 4-5 hours, or until the apples are tender, gently toss with a spatula after each hour. Serve warm with ice cream or cool to room temperature in the slow cooker before transferring to an airtight container and refrigerating.
Notes: I love Fuji apples for this recipe, and Gina recommends Honeycrisp. Gala or Braeburn apples would work as well. If you prefer a tarter taste, use 1 or 2 Granny Smith apples in place of the same number of red apples. I don't peel my apples, but you're welcome to remove their skins first if you prefer.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.
This is the 5-quart slow cooker that I used. A 6-quart slow cooker would work as well. I do not recommend using any other size, especially a slow cooker that’s smaller than 5 quarts.
REGULAR OVEN METHOD: If you don't have a slow cooker, then you can bake this in the oven instead! In Step 1, add the apples to a large bowl instead of a slow cooker. Follow Step 1 and 2. After Step 2, transfer the mixture to a 2-quart Dutch oven with a lid or a 9x13" cake pan. Cover the pan with the lid (if using a Dutch oven) or with foil (if using a cake pan). Bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir, and if the apples aren’t completely soft and tender, then bake for another 15-20 minutes more or until they’re fully soft and tender when pierced with a fork.
STOVETOP METHOD: Use a very large soup pot (one that holds 10-12 cups) to prepare it on the stove. After adding the apples, cover the top and let them simmer over low heat for about 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the apples towards the bottom of the pot from burning, or until the apples are extremely tender.
{gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat}
This recipe was lightly adapted and shared with permission from the Skinnytaste Fast and Slow: Knockout Quick-Fix and Slow Cooker Recipes Cookbook. With 137 healthy recipes, each with the full nutrition information, I highly recommend it. It’s already become a family favorite in my house!
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡Slow Cooker Apple Pie Filling
♡Healthy Classic Apple Pie
♡Apple Pie Snickerdoodles
♡Ultimate Healthy Apple Crumble
♡Healthy Apple Pie Scones
♡Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies
♡Whole Wheat Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
♡Simple Cinnamon Apple Cake
