With the holidays quickly approaching I figured it was time I get to work on putting together a delicious menu for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. My goal was to develop an entirely plant based menu to satisfy vegetarians and carnivores alike. Since many of the savory recipes I create for the holidays are based on traditional menu fare I often find myself able to get most creative when developing the desserts. Although the holidays are often seen as time to splurge, I really focus on getting as much nutrition into the dishes as I can without sacrificing flavor and taste. I try to create recipes that are as unprocessed as possible using unrefined, whole wheat pastry flour, raw cane sugar, coconut oil, pure vanilla extract, and organic fruit to create a mouthwatering dessert that will be sure to please the entire family.

The great thing about this recipe is that it can be prepared and baked off ahead of time and then reheated just before serving to make the whole house smell of intoxicating cinnamon and baked apples. This twist on a traditional cobbler is best served warm topped off with some vanilla coconut milk ice cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, but leftovers are great cold the next day as well, if they last that long .

Yield: 9 servings

Cranberry Apple Cobbler Bars

adapted from good life eats

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 stick earth balance, at room temp
• 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup raw cane sugar
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 large apple, diced (any kind will work)
• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup raw cane sugar

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl stir together diced apple, cranberries, orange juice, cornstarch (or arrowroot powder), and 1/4 cup of raw cane sugar, until the sugar and cornstarch completely coat the apple and cranberries, set aside.
2. In another bowl combine the whole wheat pastry flour, old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup of raw cane sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and sea salt. Stir until mixture is well combined. Add in the softened earth balance butter, coconut oil, and vanilla extract and mix to combine. I suggest using a fork or potato masher to get the butter and oil incorporated well into the dry ingredients. Mixture should be crumbly and form small pebbles similar to a cobbler topping.
3. Prepare and 8×8 pan with cooking spray and press half of the crust until firm. Top with the base with the cranberry/apple mixture and sprinkle with the remaining crumble topping pressing down lightly to hold everything together.
4. Pop the pan into in a preheated 375 degree oven and bake for 40-50 minutes until top is lightly browned. Let cool a bit before slicing and serving.