I created this recipe for my client, National Honey Board. Thank you for supporting the products that keep me inspired in the kitchen and help make Healthy Delicious possible.

The first time I remember eating really good baklava was back when I was in college. I was in DC for the semester and we went to an event at one of the embassies (I wish I could remember which one!) where they had a plate of it out. I was hooked from the first bite and proceeded to eat an embarrassing amount.

Fast forward a few years and I thought I must have dreamed up that baklava. I tried it several times since then but it didn’t do anything for me. It was too dry, too flaky, too nutty… just not the delicious baklava that I remembered. Then last year we tried a new-to-us Middle Eastern restaurant and I hit baklava gold. It was everything I remembered it being, and then some.

The difference was in the way the baklava was made. Instead of having layer upon layer of fillo and filling, it had one thick layer of filling sandwiched between just two layers of pastry. More filling and less fillo meant this baklava wasn’t as dry and crumbly as some of the others I’d tried. Plus it had the perfect amount of honey – enough to keep the filling moist and add that familiar flavor without being too sticky-sweet.

I don’t remember what gave me the idea of making apple baklava, but I knew it would be a winner. Apples + honey + walnuts are a match made in heaven! These baklava bites are perfect for fall but you can easily make them year-round.

Using fillo shells instead of sheets means these bite-sized baklava cups are incredibly easy to make. You don’t have to worry about defrosting the pastry or working with all of those delicate sheets – just pack the filling right into the frozen shells!

To keep things on the lighter side, I made a filling that’s about half diced apple and half traditional baklava filling. I added some flour to counterbalance the extra moisture I knew the apples would add (no one wants a soggy shell) and added some warm fall spices to give the recipe an apple pie-meets-baklava vibe.

While the baklava bites baked, I made a syrup by boiling down a combination of water and honey. Thinning out the honey this way allows it to seep into every nook and cranny of the baklava and make it super yummy. You can also flavor the honey syrup with other ingredients to infuse even more flavor into your dessert. I added lemon juice and cardamom, which complemented the apple and walnut filling perfectly.

You can use any kind of honey for these (did you know there are over 300 varietals in the US?!) but the color, flavor, and even aroma may differ depending on the nectar source of flowers visited by the honey bee. The colors may range from nearly colorless to dark brown, the flavor may vary from delectably mild to distinctively bold, and some have a more floral flavor than others. Visit honeylocator.com to find honey varietals near you. Play around with this recipe and let me know which type of honey is your personal favorite!

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easy apple baklava

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 15

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 tablespoon butter cut into 8 cubes
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 apple peeled and finely diced ( about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 package mini fillo shells 15 shells
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup honey
• ⅛ teaspoon cardamom optional
• ½ lemon juiced

Instructions

• Heat your oven to 350ºF. Arrange the fillo shells on a baking sheet.
• Add the walnuts, butter, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt to a food processor or blender; process until the ingredients come together into a chunky dough. Combine the apples and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add the walnut mixture; mix well.
• Pack about 1 heaping teaspoon of the apple-walnut mixture into each fillo shell. Bake for 10 minutes.
• While the baklava bakes, combine the water and honey in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 8-10 minutes or until reduced to a thin syrup. Stir in the cardamom and lemon juice.
• Carefully spoon the syrup over the baked baklava, letting it seep into the walnut filling.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve.

A few weeks ago, the Dairy Council asked me if I was interested in creating a high-protein post-workout snack and sharing a little bit about a new web video series that they’re promoting. It was actually really great timing, since I was already planning to share these parfaits with you!

Over the summer, Shawn joined a local gym that allows him to bring a guest for free on the weekends. They have a pool, so that’s where I’ve been spending my Saturday mornings. I’ve always loved swimming, and I’ve really enjoyed getting back into it. But one thing I don’t love is how hungry I am when I get out of the pool. It’s a little insane. I pretty much need to eat something immediately, otherwise I can get really cranky.

These yogurt parfaits are perfect – I make them ahead of time and store them in small canning jars. They look cute and are super portable, so they’re ready to go whenever I am. Plus they’re packed with protein and complex carbohydrates to fill me up, help my muscles repair, and replenish my energy.

The flavors in these parfaits are perfect for this time of year. I start with a tablespoon or two of homemade apple pie filling, then layer on low fat Greek yogurt sweetened with a touch of maple syrup. Due to the straining process, Greek yogurt has twice the protein of most regular yogurt – 14-17 grams per serving! I also love it’s rich texture and tangy flavor. I top it off with my homemade apple butter granola, with walnuts, dried fruit, and seeds. They’re so delicious.

I love learning more about where my food comes from. I love shopping at the Farmers Market and talking to the people who produce my food. In fact, I’m visiting two farms out in Western New York later this week (be sure to follow along on Instagram!) Most people don’t think of farms when they think of New York, but they’re all over once you get out of the city! In fact, NY is ranked fourth nationally in dairy farming, with over 5,000 farms across the state. It’s also the top yogurt producing state in the country. Sometimes I feel like almost everyone I know knows a dairy farmer or two!

The new web series Avenues + Acres pairs dairy farmers with millennials to learn from each other in a sort of “job swap.” The first episode features Abbey, a NY dairy farmer (and fellow blogger! and RD! She certainly keeps busy) and Dana, a local boxing coach. It touches on the  link between nutritious farm-to-table food and sports nutrition. It also kind of makes me want to take up boxing… (I love that the episode features two women doing what you’d traditionally think of as male-dominated activities.) You can watch the episode right here, then join me for a Twitter Party on Wednesday, Nov. 4 for 9-10pm EST to chat with the farmers featured in it.

For more protein-packed snacks perfect for before or after the gym, check out Pumpkin Chocolate Chia Pudding, Apple Pie Yogurt Parfait, Peanut Butter Pumpkin Greek Yogurt Dip,Banana Bread Smoothie, or Autumn Acai Bowl with Greek Yogurt Figs and Pomegranate.

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Apple Butter Granola

I love to layer this granola with apple pie filling and Plain Greek yogurt sweetened with a little maple syrup. For a quick and easy apple pie filling, combine 3 peeled and diced apples, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and some cinnamon in a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of water and bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes. The mixture will thicken as it cools.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 3

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup apple butter preferably homemade
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
• ½ cup dried fruit like apples, apricots, or raisins

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 325ºF.
• In a saucepan set over medium heat, warm the apple butter and coconut oil. Stir in the chia seeds, flax meal, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg. Remove from heat and mix in the oats and walnuts.
• Spread the oat mixture onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool. Stir in the dried fruit.
• Store in an airtight container.

I considered making an apple pie cheesecake, but decided to make apple cheesecake empanadas instead. We could pretend that decision had something to do with celebrating New York diversity but, honestly, it was because I’ve had a package of empanada dough in my freezer for a while and I’ve been looking for an excuse to use it.

How to make apple empanadas

Apple empanadas are surprisingly easy to make!

1. Start by making a quick batch of easy apple pie filling. Caramelize some sugar and apple pie spices in a hot pan. Then add diced apples and cook them until they’re soft. Ruby Frost apples have a firm texture so they retain their shape even after they cook down. This means the apple pie filling is nice and chunky with big pieces of tart apples.
2. Instead of adding more sugar to sweeten the cream cheese, mix in some of the sticky liquid from the apples. Resist any urge you might have to taste the cream cheese filling or you might end up taking so many tastes that you don’t have enough left for the empanadas.
3. I used frozen empanada dough. If you want to make your own, I bet this version made with sweet potatoes would be incredible! Whichever you choose, make sure to seal the edges tightly by pressing down on them with the tines of a fork – you don’t want that delicious filling to ooze out.
4. Once they’re tightly sealed, brush the empanadas with a little milk and sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar. Bake them until they’re puffed and golden brown. Make sure to let them cool slightly before digging in – the filling gets really hot and molten and will firm back up when the empanadas cool.

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Baked Apple Cheesecake Empanadas

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 10

Calories 309kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup water
• 4 Ruby Frost apples peeled and cut into a 1/4" dice
• 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• 1 package 10 discs frozen empanada dough, defrosted
• 2 tablespoons milk
• cinnamon-sugar for dusting optional

Instructions

• In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, combine the sugars, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in the water and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and lava-like. Stir in the apples and cook 8-10 minutes, or until softened. Let cool completely.
• Pour off about 1/4 cup of the liquid from the apples and stir it into the cream cheese.
• Heat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
• Use a rolling pin to gently stretch each disc of empanada dough slightly, then spoon 1 tablespoon of cream cheese and 1 heaping tablespoon of apples onto the center of each disc. Bring the edges together over the dough and use the tines of a fork to seal (press firmly). Arrange on the baking sheet. Brush each empanada with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, if desired.
• Bake 20-25 minutes, or until the empanadas are puffed and golden brown.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 309kcal | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Fiber: 2g