Written by Michael Matthews

Any fruit can make a delicious dessert, but perhaps none are as versatile as the apple. It matches warm spices like cinnamon, makes toasted nuts even tastier, and even suits savory additions like bacon.

Plus, apples can be diced for flavorful chunks, sliced paper thin as the perfect pie filling, or turned into a thick sauce that replaces fat in common baked goods (helping you cut down on the butter and oil).

There are countless varieties of apples, and all of them deliver the same health benefits: high fiber to lower cholesterol and stave off hunger, the antioxidant quercetin to strengthen your immune system, and decreased risk of health issues like Parkinson’s, diabetes 2, and cataracts.

But some types of apples are better for baking than others. In addition to classic Granny Smith, look for Braeburn, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, and Rome Beauty, to name a few.

Enjoy the recipes!

Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies

Picture courtesy of Amy’s Healthy Baking

If an occasion calls for pie and you don’t have time (or skills) to bake one, these apple cookies are the next best thing. They’re loaded with fresh apples and cinnamon – but also whole-wheat flour and oats for complex carbs.

Each cookie is under 100 calories and 10 grams of sugar, and it takes less than an hour to bake them from start to finish.

Serves 15 Ingredients 1 cup quick oats 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. coconut oil or butter, melted 1 large egg, room temp. 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 cup agave syrup 1 medium apple, finely diced Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 97 Protein: 2 grams Carbs: 18 grams Fat: 2 grams GET THE RECIPE

Mini Apple Pie Cheesecakes

Picture courtesy of shutterbean

Instead of skimping on cheesecake with no-calorie sweeteners and fat-free dairy, go for the classic in an individually sized package. These are made in a standard muffin tin, so each one is just the right size.

Start by pressing the walnut graham cracker crust mixture in the bottom, and then pour in a simple filling of cream cheese, heavy cream, and apple butter. Then even more apples are added on top along with walnuts.

Serves 10 Ingredients Crust: 1 1/4 cups graham crackers 1/3 cup chopped walnuts 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted Filling: 1 package (8 oz.) Neufchatel cream cheese, room temp. 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 3/4 cup cold heavy cream 1/2 cup apple butter Topping: 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1 apple, peeled and chopped 1/3 cup chopped walnuts 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. ground cinnamon Pinch of salt Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 357 Protein: 5 grams Carbs: 30 grams Fat: 25 grams GET THE RECIPE

Low-Fat Apple Coffee Cake

Picture courtesy of Southern In Law

Eat cake any time of day without feeling guilty. This one is made with yogurt, apples, and just a tablespoon of butter in the cinnamon crumb topping.

With less than 200 calories per square, you can enjoy coffee cake for breakfast along with protein-rich breakfast items like a yogurt parfait or sausage and egg scramble.

Serves 9 Ingredients Apple Coffee Cake: 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed 1 large egg 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/4 cup diced apples, peeled and cored Topping: 3 Tbsp. light brown sugar 3 Tbsp. flour 1 Tbsp. butter, softened Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 161 Protein: 3 grams Carbs: 32 grams Fat: 2 grams GET THE RECIPE

No-Sugar-Added Apple Tart

Picture courtesy of The Inspired Home

This apple tart will wow guests with presentation as long as you take some care when arranging the slices on top. But while it’s as pretty as a pie, this tart actually contains none of the sugar or butter you’d expect to find.

The crust is simply whole-wheat flour, coconut oil, and salt. And the filling is made with little more than fresh apples and cinnamon.

Serves 8 Ingredients 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt 1/2 cup coconut oil 8 Tbsp. ice water 5 apples 2 tsp. ground cinnamon Juice of 1/2 lemon Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 264 Protein: 3 grams Carbs: 34 grams Fat: 14 grams GET THE RECIPE

Mini Caramel Apples

Picture courtesy of PopSugar

Don’t be fooled by the apple hiding inside all the caramel – one of those candy-coated apples adds up to hundreds of calories. And a majority of that is from the caramel, which is pure sugar, butter, and cream.

These smaller portions are dipped in sticky dates instead and then finished with your garnish of choice: chopped nuts, shredded coconut, shaved chocolate, or cinnamon sugar.

Serves 6 / Makes 24 Ingredients 1 cup (about 12) pitted Medjool dates 3 Tbsp. vanilla soy milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 apples 24 cake pop sticks (or toothpicks) Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 127 Protein: 1 gram Carbs: 32 grams Fat: < 1 gram GET THE RECIPE

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Apple Pie Protein Ice Cream

Picture courtesy of Nutritionist in the Kitch

This non-dairy frozen dessert doesn’t even need sugar or alternative sweeteners. All of the delicious flavor comes from fruit, almond butter, and spices – no ice cream maker required.

And hidden in the mix is vanilla protein powder, which means there’s three times the protein of traditional ice cream with lots of natural sweetness.

Serves 2 Ingredients 1 ripe banana, frozen 1 medium apple, diced and divided 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 tsp. apple pie spice 1 Tbsp. almond butter 1 scoop WHEY+ vanilla protein isolate 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk Handful of ice Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 237 Protein: 16 grams Carbs: 36 grams Fat: 5 grams GET THE RECIPE

Oatmeal-Stuffed Baked Apples

Picture courtesy of SkinnyTaste

A healthy dessert doesn’t have to be hard to make. As long as you can chop an apple in half and turn on the oven, you can satisfy your sweet tooth with something made from scratch.

Apples are delicious when baked with no filling, but it doesn’t take much to upgrade them. Melt butter, and mix it into some flour, sugar, and oats to make a deconstructed apple crisp.

Serves 4 Ingredients 2 large apples, halved 2 Tbsp. butter, melted 2 Tbsp. brown sugar 2 Tbsp. flour 4 Tbsp. quick oats Pinch of cinnamon Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 153 Protein: 1 gram Carbs: 26 grams Fat: 6 grams GET THE RECIPE

Skinny Fried Apples

Picture courtesy of Love Grows Wild

Apple pie filling is so good it doesn’t really need the crust. That’s basically the line of thinking behind this simple apple dessert, which comes together on the skillet in just a handful of minutes.

Roughly chop an apple, and stir together the other ingredients in a small bowl. Add the apples to the skillet first, and once they start to soften, stir ins the honey sauce.

These fried apples are good enough to eat alone or with yogurt.

Serves 1 Ingredients 1 apple, peeled and diced 1 tsp. coconut oil 1 tsp. pure honey 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. water 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 209 Protein: 1 gram Carbs: 44 grams Fat: 5 grams GET THE RECIPE

Healthy Apple Crisp

Picture courtesy of Chocolate-Covered Katie

Baking an apple crisp in a casserole dish will most likely leave you with a lot of extra servings around. This individually sized alternative ensures there are no tempting leftovers in the fridge.

It’s a big serving with apples and oats, so you can split it for a small dessert for two. Or, have the whole thing for breakfast. This apple crisp is also tasty à la mode, even if you choose Greek yogurt instead of ice cream.

Serves 2 Ingredients 1 medium apple, diced small 1/8 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. milk 1/2 tsp. apple pie spice (or cinnamon) 1 tsp. granulated stevia (or 1 Tbsp. sugar) 3 Tbsp. quick oats 2 tsp. oat flour 1 Tbsp. coconut oil Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 220 Protein: 4 grams Carbs: 40 grams Fat: 6 grams GET THE RECIPE

Torta di Mele (Italian Apple Cake)

Picture courtesy of William Meppem

This cake comes from A Family Farm in Tuscany: Recipes and Stories from Fattoria Poggio Alloro, although it’s been adapted with almond flour.

But that doesn’t steer too far from the traditional since other Italian baked goods – such as almond cookies and biscotti – can be made with almond powder, or finely ground almonds.

Serves 8 Ingredients 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups almond flour 2 1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. vanilla 3 medium apples (about 1 3/4 lbs.), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/8”-thick wedges 1/8 cup powdered sugar (garnish) Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 222 Protein: 3 grams Carbs: 38 grams Fat: 8 grams GET THE RECIPE

Apple Strudel Crepes

Picture courtesy of SpaWeek

These apple crepes are amazing whether you want a healthy breakfast or protein-packed dessert. Unlike pancakes, they’re filled with the kind of delicious sweet stuff that’s normally slathered on top.

Inside the protein crepes is a mix of diced apples, Greek yogurt, raisins, and walnuts. And since there’s no added sugar in the recipe, it’s ok to drizzle a little syrup on top.

Serves 1 Ingredients 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats 1 packet stevia 1/2 cup egg whites 1 1/2 Tbsp. WHEY+ vanilla protein isolate 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 cup finely chopped apple 1/4 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt 1 1/2 Tbsp. raisins 1 Tbsp. chopped walnuts Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 290 Protein: 32 grams Carbs: 30 grams Fat: 5 grams GET THE RECIPE

Caramel Apple Protein Shake

Picture & recipe courtesy of Peanut Butter & Peppers

Not all desserts are eaten with a spoon or fork. Since the advent of the milkshake, it’s been acceptable to sip your sweets.

And never is that more the case than when you add protein powder, use wholesome coconut milk instead of ice cream, and thicken it with apple. Drink up!

Serves 1 Ingredients ½ cup apple, roughly chopped or shredded 1 cup coconut milk, unsweetened or non-fat milk 1 scoop WHEY+ vanilla protein isolate ½ tsp. caramel extract ¼ tsp. pumpkin or apple spice ¼ tsp. cinnamon 1 cup ice Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 183 Protein: 19 grams Carbs: 12 grams Fat: 7 grams GET THE RECIPE

Apple Lasagna

Picture courtesy of Mr. Food

This apple pie alternative uses lasagna noodles and cinnamon streusel instead of crust. There’s the familiar element of apple pie filling, which you can either make from scratch or use canned to save time. But this dessert lasagna adds a lot to the classic apple pie flavor.

There’s also cheddar and ricotta cheese, plus a sour cream sauce sweetened with brown sugar.

Serves 15 Ingredients Apple Lasagna: 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese 1 cup (8 oz.) part-skim ricotta 1/4 cup sugar 1 tsp. almond extract 2 cans (21 oz. each) apple pie filling 6 lasagna noodles, cooked, rinsed and drained Cinnamon Crumb Topping: 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup quick oats 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon Dash of ground nutmeg 3 Tbsp. cold butter Sour Cream Sauce: 3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream 3 Tbsp. brown sugar Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 327 Protein: 10 grams Carbs: 47 grams Fat: 12 grams GET THE RECIPE

Apple Pie Chia Seed Jam + Breakfast Parfait

Picture & recipe courtesy of Oh She Glows

This healthy apple parfait tastes good enough to eat for dessert – even though there’s zero added sugar – but it’s nutritious enough to enjoy first thing in the morning.

You can also make the apple pie jam on its own to spread on muffins, toast, or fresh apple slices.

Serves 2 Ingredients No-Sugar-Added Apple Jam: 3 large apples, peeled and diced 3/4 cup 100% pure apple juice 2 Tbsp. chia seeds 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract Pinch of fine sea salt Overnight Oats: 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk 2 Tbsp. chia seeds 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. cinnamon Sweetener to taste (optional) 1 Tbsp. toasted walnuts, chopped Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 415 Protein: 8 grams Carbs: 80 grams Fat: 11 grams GET THE RECIPE

Sky-High Healthy Apple Pie

Picture & recipe courtesy of The Healthy Foodie

Made in a style similar to a Rougemont apple cake, this pie is a real showstopper.

It has an astounding number of layers upon layers of thinly sliced apples, which are studded with raisins and walnuts. As if that’s not awesome enough, the crust is a little bready so this pie won’t get soggy and fall apart.

It’s got so much flavor going on, your guests won’t even notice it’s packed with good-for-you ingredients.

Serves 12 Ingredients Crust: 1 cup spelt flour 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk 1 large egg Filling: 1 cup low-fat buttermilk 1 cup coconut water 1/2 cup egg whites 2 large eggs 1/4 cup date paste 3 Tbsp. arrowroot flour (or cornstarch) 1 tsp. cinnamon Freshly grated nutmeg to taste The seeds from one vanilla bean (or 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract) 8 large apples (an assortment of types) 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 283 Protein: 7 grams Carbs: 46 grams Fat: 10 grams GET THE RECIPE

Apple Pie Protein Bars

Picture courtesy of Anna Sward

Here’s proof that dessert can be rich, satisfying, and full of protein. These apple bars don’t skimp on the stuff you love about baked goods.

In this case there’s a base of coconut flour, coconut sugar, and coconut oil. But, there’s also whey protein powder so each serving ends up with nearly 20 grams of protein. Try getting that from a slice of apple pie.

Serves 4 Ingredients 2 Tbsp. coconut oil 1/2 cup (2 scoops) WHEY+ vanilla protein isolate 1/4 cup coconut sugar 1 Tbsp. almond butter 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup coconut flour 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon (or allspice) 1 medium apple, sliced Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 369 Protein: 18 grams Carbs: 15 grams Fat: 23 grams GET THE RECIPE

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

Picture courtesy of Food, Pleasure and Health

Have an overabundance of apples? This is the quickest way to use them up and preserve the harvest for a while longer.

There’s no shortage of ways to make use of the homemade spread. Apple butter can replace applesauce in baking, be slathered on muffins and toast, or swirled into spiced oatmeal. And if you mix some apple butter with yogurt, it’s a delicious fruit dip or pancake topping.

Serves 32 / Makes about 4 cups Ingredients 14 apples, cored and roughly chopped 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon 2 tsp. ground cardamom (or more to taste) 1 tsp. ground ginger (or more to taste) Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 55 Protein: < 1 gram Carbs: 15 grams Fat: < 1 gram GET THE RECIPE

Apple Griddle Scones

Picture courtesy of Aaron McLean

Apple Cookbook by Olwen Woodler, where this recipes originates, is packed with sweet and savory recipes to help you make the most of fall apple season – including how to preserve the best of the harvest to use year-round.

This is a must-have collection of classic recipes for any American kitchen, featuring Apple Cheddar Crepes, Cider-Braised Chicken, Pumpkin-Apple Pie, and much more.

Serves 8 Ingredients 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1/4 cup sugar 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1 large egg 1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt (or low-fat buttermilk) 1 large apple (McIntosh or Golden Delicious are recommended) Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 189 Protein: 4 grams Carbs: 28 grams Fat: 7 grams GET THE RECIPE

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Pizza

Picture & recipe courtesy of Shrinking Kitchen

This dessert pizza has everything you could want in an apple pastry: ripe apple, sticky icing, and a chewy and cinnamony crust. It’s a hit with kids, of course, but there’s no reason grown-ups can’t devour one of these too.

Here’s to betting you won’t have leftovers to deal with, but if you do, store extras in an airtight container at room temperature.

Serves 20 Ingredients Pizza Dough: 1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast 1 cup water, room temperature 1 3/4 cup all-purpose white wheat flour 1 cup cake flour 1 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. sugar Cinnamon Apple Topping: 1/2 cup quick oats 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour 3 Tbsp. salted whipped butter, cold 2 Tbsp. cold water 1 Tbsp. cinnamon 3 apples 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar 1 Tbsp. skim milk 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 101 Protein: 1.7 grams Carbs: 21 grams Fat: 1.5 grams GET THE RECIPE

Pumpkin Apple Protein Smoothie

Picture courtesy of Clean n Dirty Eats

It’s hard to choose between pumpkin and apple when trying to decide which fall flavor is the best. With this protein shake, there’s no need to pick.

The pumpkin and apple enhance each other so the smoothie is more than the sum of its parts. The recipe uses apple butter, which is simple to make at home, or you can add in fresh apple chunks to taste.

Serves 1 Ingredients 1 scoop WHEY+ vanilla protein isolate 2 Tbsp. canned pumpkin 1 Tbsp. apple butter 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (optional) 1 packet stevia Sprinkle of ground cinnamon Sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice 1/2 cup unsweetened cashew milk 1 cup ice Nutrition Facts (Per Serving) Calories: 176 Protein: 28 grams Carbs: 17 grams Fat: 1 gram GET THE RECIPE

What did you think of these apple desserts? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!