After pumpkin pie, I’d say the most Fall thing you can eat is caramel apples. While I love me some caramel apple, they can be quite loaded up with calories and sugar.
I wanted to make a caramel apple recipe, but wasn’t thrilled with the idea of simply covering an apple in caramel. It just felt boring. So I decided to kick it up a notch but stuffing the apple, too.
The apple is stuffed with an apple cookie butter (basically a dippable, spreadable apple pie) and covered with a super simple, high-protein caramel sauce.
And of course, you can (and should) eat the bowl.
I could not be more pleased with this recipe. So much so, in fact, that I made it for myself 3 times in a row before posting this recipe.
The caramel sauce here is SO easy, and you’re undoubtedly going to see it make an appearance in future recipes- it’s just THAT good.
As always, if you’re interested in making substitutions, see the notes below the recipe. One thing I’d like to note is that the calories may vary slightly based on the type of apple you use, the size of the apple, and how much of it you scoop out to make your bowl. That being said, this should still be quite close to accurate!
Caramel Apple Cookie Butter Bowl
Going apple picking and don't know what to do with all dem apples? Here's the perfect snack. How bout dem apples?
Ingredients
For Bowl
- 1 Medium Apple (Fuji is the best)
For Cookie Butter
- 21g (About 3/4 Scoop) Vanilla Whey Protein (I used Bowmar Nutrition)
- 45g Oat Flour
- 12g Granular Sugar Substitute (I used Swerve)
- 1/4 tsp Apple Pie Spice
- 1 pinch Salt
- 50g Unsweetened Applesauce
For Caramel Sauce
- 14g (1 Tbsp) Light Butter
- 1 tbsp Sugar-Free Maple Syrup
- 7g Vanilla Whey Protein
- 6g Brown Sugar Substitute (I used Swerve)
- 4g Powdered Sugar Substitute (I used Swerve)
Instructions
- Make the cookie butter dip by combining all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl (everything except the applesauce). Mix everything together and then add your applesauce. Using a silicone spatula will make it easiest to mix everything together. Once mixed, place in the fridge to set for about an hour.
- To make the caramel sauce, add the light butter and tablespoon of maple syrup to a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds to fully melt the butter. It’s helpful to put a small piece of paper towel over your bowl to prevent the butter from popping all over your microwave.
- While your butter & syrup are still hot, whisk in your remaining caramel sauce ingredients one at a time. Start with the brown sugar, then the whey protein, and finally the confectioners sugar to help thicken it up. It’s important to use a whisk here to mix it all well! Place your caramel sauce in the fridge to fully cool and set for about an hour.
- After an hour has passed and both your cookie butter and caramel are ready, prep the apple bowl. Cut off the top of the apple and set aside. Using a knife, carefully cut around the perimeter of the apple, leaving a small space between the cut and the skin. Cutting too close to the skin of the apple will result in cutting through the apple. Once you’ve cut around the entire apple, use a spoon to “scoop” out the core. Since the core is hard, it will likely break off in pieces. Continue until you’ve carved out your bowl.
- Fill your apple with the cookie butter dip you made, then drizzle the caramel sauce on top! You’ll only need to use about half the caramel sauce, but keep the remaining sauce for extra dipping.
Nutrition Information
Yield 1 Serving Size Entire BowlAmount Per Serving Calories 370Total Fat 6gCarbohydrates 47gProtein 28g
Notes/Substitutions
- Vanilla whey works across the board here for both the cookie butter and the caramel. I only tried with Bowmar Nutrition’s Frosted Cookie, but another vanilla whey should work.
- Apples really aren’t low carb, but if you want to make these lower in total carbs, you can swap the oat flour out for almond flour. You may need to adjust the amount of applesauce used in that case, though.
- Speaking of oat flour, you can very easily make your own! I just threw some oats into a spice grinder to make mine, but a food processor works great too.
- If you want to make this vegan, you can swap the whey protein out for a pea protein. When butter is called for, use a butter substitute and you’ll be good to go. I’ve used an Avocado Buttery Spread and you can’t even taste the difference.
- I do not count the sugar substitute in my carb count. The additional carbs do not equate to any calories, so I don’t include them. If you are very strict about your carbs, make sure you add those in (although they are minimal).
Jynn
Friday 26th of January 2024
With a little reworking, this works great in oatmeal! I diced up an apple and cooked it on the stove with some apple pie spices, light butter, and some apple butter that I had leftover from your apple cider donut recipe. Add the cookie butter, caramel sauce, and apple mixture to a bowl of oatmeal, and it was literally one of the best bowls of oatmeal I’ve ever had. I put it together again this morning, and the caramel was even better the second day! Great recipe!