Today I'm posting a recipe for how to make an easy dessert that includes no refined sugars or artificial sweeteners, which, I'm sorry, I think are totally gross. The artificial sweeteners generally have an aftertaste, which to me is quite unpleasant. Even stevia, which is plant-based, can have a weird, lingering taste. Research on whether artificial sugars are "bad for you" is fuzzy, but many "experts" warn that artificial sweeteners can harm your "gut biome" and actually increase your cravings for sweets. So what to do? Use fructose--fruit sugar--to sweeten your desserts. In this case, I use date paste, which you can buy or make in a food processor or blender. Or just mash up some soft dates with water. It will work! That said, you have to be careful, especially if you're diabetic, not to use too much date paste, as it is quite sweet. What makes date paste better than refined sugar? It has lots of fiber, which slows carbohydrate absorption, and it also has food value in the form of vitamins and minerals. So, what's the dessert? It's simple apple-date puffs made in the air fryer (or use an oven). The puffs are light, airy, crunchy, just a tad sweet, and studded with bits of juicy apple. The dates give the puffs a bit of caramel taste--like brown sugar but more complex. I often sprinkle the unbaked puffs with almonds, walnuts, or other nuts before baking them, which gives the puffs even more flavor and crunch. The puffs are great for a special, not too heavy dessert with a cup of coffee or tea. Enjoy!
Apple-Date Puffs -- Makes 6
1/3 of 1 sheet of puff pastry (or cut six 2-3-inch squares)
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped into small pieces
1/3 - 1/2 cup of date paste (depending on how much you want to use)
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
Pinch each of nutmeg, allspice, and cloves
3-4 tablespoons of slivered or chopped nuts, optional
Cut small pieces of baking parchment to fit your air fryer basket or line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Cut 1/3 of a sheet of puff pastry (the sheet usually is folded in three parts--you need one part--1/3 or the sheet--so you can cut it at the seam) into 6 rectangular pieces and flatten each piece out a little with your hand. With a knife, cut a small slit around the edges of each rectangle, about 1/4-inch in from the edge. You don't have to/really shouldn't cut all the way through the pastry. In a small bowl mix together well the apple pieces, date paste, and spices. Divide the apple mixture among the six rectangles, mounding and spreading the apple mixture out to the slits that you cut. Sprinkle the nuts, if you're using them, over the apple mixture. Air fry the puffs--two or three to a piece of parchment, depending on the size of your air fryer (leave an inch or two between the unbaked puffs)--at 360 degrees for about 10 minutes or until they have puffed and are a deep brown. Alternatively, you can bake the puffs in a regular oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
I'm not diabetic but I think this would be a great, healthy snack to help put my hearty sweet tooth in check. I am unclear on the directions for making slits in the puff pastry. Am I to make 4 slits (one 1/4 inch in from each edge of the rectangle) on each rectangular puff pastry? And I should not cut through the pastry but only make a surface slit, right?
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