I told Ryan I had made apple pies. His ears perked up, expecting a slice of homemade apple pie. Poor fella was a little disappointed when I produced a napkin with one of these after-school apple “pies”.
On the other hand, minutes later I asked Blaise if he wanted to build his own apple pies. He dashed in and went to work, deliberately assembling granola on top of the apples I had sliced. Though, not a replacement for granny’s apple pie, it’s a sweet healthy treat that you can let the kids assemble themselves.
Certainly, you could go a bazillion different directions as far as the toppings go. Granolas, nuts, seeds, spreads…go bananas…hey, those would be great, too! My only recommendation is to keep a variety of textures. Something smooth, something crunchy, something chewy, in an effort to keep things exciting for the big and little eaters alike.
I really liked the granola I grabbed at the store. It was the Cherry Chia Vanilla variety by 18 Rabbits and it was nice and light, crispy and not too sweet. Admittedly, I picked it because it was the midrange priced product and I liked the magenta packaging. #suckerformagenta.
In terms of the sunflower butter spread that I used here as the “sauce” as Blaise referred to it, you could schmear it on like you do a bagel. But, opting for an entertaining twist, I put the “sauce” in a ziplock bag and piped it on in a creative design. It doesn’t add to the flavor or texture. It’s simply in the name of having fun with your food.
[tasty-recipe id=”6912″]
*Recipe by Joanie Simon (JoanieSimon.com)
