Core, hollow out, and peel the top ¼ of the apple skins. Or, cut in half and core.
Place the apples in an 8-9” baking dish. If the apples don’t sit up, trim a small slice from the bottom of each.
After the cashews have soaked for at least 1 hour, drain them and place into a blender with ½ cup of the fresh water, the maple syrup and vanilla. Blend until smooth. This may take several minutes. Remove with a spatula to a bowl and refrigerate.
Drizzle the apples with 1 Tbl maple syrup and sprinkle with cinnamon. Stuff the centers with a few walnuts.
Pour ¼ cup water into the bottom of the dish, cover with foil and bake for about 30-45 minutes. Check for softness and bake longer if needed.
Uncover and bake another 10 minutes.
Before serving, top with chilled cashew cream and a sprinkling of granola.
Notes
non-alcoholic vanilla extract preferred *I recommend using Ceylon cinnamon, which has a sweeter, more delicate flavor, because the most common cinnamon, cassia, contains coumarin, a naturally occurring compound that may be toxic to the liver at doses of 1 teaspoon per day for adults and 1/4 teaspoon for children a few times a week. See reference from nutritionfacts.org.This label is for 1 apple without cashew cream Granola includedCashew Cream, 1 Tablespoon = 88 calories [nutrition-label]
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Baked Apples with Cashew Cream
Amount per Serving
Calories
255
% Daily Value*
Fat
8.7
g
13
%
Saturated Fat
0.9
g
6
%
Sodium
3.1
mg
0
%
Carbohydrates
45
g
15
%
Fiber
7.4
g
31
%
Sugar
28.2
g
31
%
Protein
4.1
g
8
%
Vitamin C
14
mg
17
%
Calcium
40
mg
4
%
Iron
1.1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.