Apple Maple Parfait–Kitchen Play
The weather is changing. Fall is just around the corner and I could not be happier! I was super excited when I was asked to put together a dessert course for this month’s Progressive Party over at Kitchen Play. The U.S. Apple Association was looking for a delicious apple dessert that would be easy for the busy parent. I had several ideas floating around in my head but I finally settled on an Apple Maple Parfait. It’s easy, delicious and packed full of flavor. Even better, it can be eaten as breakfast too!
Luckily for me I only live 3 miles away from an apple orchard. While it’s not the peak picking season there are a few early varieties that were available. I opted to try the Paula Red because I liked its sweet flavor and (when fresh) firm texture. It can get very soft while cooked but I knew I wasn’t going to cook them for very long so I was not worried. If you cannot find Paula Red in your area a great replacement would be McIntosh, Granny Smith (If you want a nice tart flavor), Empire or Jonathan.
I flavored my apples with cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. I let them simmer gently on the stove top until they were just soft enough to easily eat. For my parfait I used store-bought Greek vanilla yogurt and store-bought granola. I took a clean mason jar and made layers of tangy vanilla yogurt, sweet maple syrup and spiced apples. Once I reached the top I made sure to top it with plenty of granola.
Enjoy!!!
Apple Maple Parfait
Yield: 4 half pint parfaits
Prep Time: 50 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
8 small to medium apples - peeled, cored and chopped into 1 1/2 inch cubes (apple count will depend on the size of your apples. Mine were a little on the smaller side)
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoon vanilla paste – if you do not have vanilla paste you can use the seeds of a scraped vanilla bean or vanilla extract
2 tablespoon lemon juice
4 8oz. containers vanilla flavored Greek yogurt
Maple syrup
Granola
Source: Nutmeg Nanny
Directions:
Take chopped apples and put in large bowl. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and vanilla paste, stir and let sit for 30 minutes. The apples should now be sitting in a bowl of sugary liquid. Take apples and juice and put into saucepot on the stove. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the apples are soft but not falling apart. The sugar mixture should thicken up a bit too. Remove from heat and let cool. In a 1/2 pint glass mason jar add a spoon full of the cooled apple mixture, drizzle of maple syrup and a large spoonful of yogurt - continue until you reach the top of your jar, then sprinkle with granola and enjoy!
The US Apple Association is also sponsoring a wonderful giveaway here at Kitchen PLAY. Simply recreate any one recipe from this month’s Progressive Party, post about the experience on your blog and provide a link to your post on Kitchen PLAY to enter. All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win $100 (6 prizes total). The deadline is September 30, 2011. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!
Oh my, my, my…that looks seriously delicious.
Now this got my attention! Cabot’s Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt has been a staple in my house lately and I just knew it would be perfect in a dessert. I love this combinations of apples, maple, and vanilla…can’t wait to try it!
Yum, these look delicious and would be easy to veganize just by swapping in coconut yogurt. Love it!
This looks delicious Brandy – apple and cinnamon are gorgeous flavours, and wit you coming into autumn there, this is a perfect dish.
OH WOW!!!!!! This might be my new favorite breakfast!!! I can’t wait to try it at home! (and pick apples) Thanks Brandy!!!
I am a parfait addict! I need one of these
I love this apple parfait !!!! Oh my goodness, how can I not join the Kitchen Play Progressive Party??? This is absolutely irresistable…running to the kitchen right now !
YOu guys are killing me with all of these yummy apple recipes! Yum!
perfect fall treat… but it will have to wait b/c i am savoring the last bit of summer
That looks really good, Brandy!
These are so pretty and sound delicious! Some of my fav ingredients, Greek yogurt is one of staples.
This parfait is making me think of fall – love the combination of apples and maple syrup. My kids would love this for breakfast and dessert!
As much as I love summer, this makes me excited for fall!
This looks absolutely stunning! I can’t wait to make it.
This is almost certainly going to be breakfast one day this week. What? There’s YOGURT in it! Totally breakfast food.
Such delicious parfaits, the combination of apples, maple syrup and vanilla paste sounds amazing!
I can’t remember a parfait ever standing out for me the way this one is! That is incredibly delicious looking!
Oh my goodness. Does that ever look good! Breakfast or dessert – I can’t decide.
I’m all over the Fall flavors and this would hit the spot!
Yum, you’re getting me in the mood for Fall! Looks wonderful!
Wow! This parfait would turn heads if it had legs and was walking down the street. It looks amazing! Not to mention – sounds delicious!
Yay, I’m glad you decided to participate in Kitchen Play! Your apple treat looks wonderful, I really love the flavor of maple in there!
Yumm-o!
I just bought some Paula Reds at the store an hour ago
This looks delicious!
I went apple picking this weekend – apple crisp and apple cake. Yum!
Your apple maple parfait looks so delicious and comforting. I love fall but still feel a little sad that summer is zooming past us. Have to check out the giveaway
This looks incredible, all that apple and maple…the best flavours of fall!
Such a fun parfait! Wish I had for my bedtime snack right now
Have a great weekend!
Oh man…I could go for one of these parfaits right now!
I love this – totally puts me in the mood for fall
This sounds perfect for breakfast on the go, I love this kind of stuff. The maple syrup is a great addition too
breakfast, snack, or dessert–this is a triple threat! i like everything about it, brandy–nice work!
Since apples vary wildly in size, approx. how many cups of apples would you say you used? I can’t wait to make this!
I love how simple and elegant these parfaits are! I love how you are combining flavors to highlight and accentuate the flavors of the apple instead of overcomplicating things and thus losing the essence of the apple. Cannot wait to make some apple maple parfaits for my family!