The Fourth of the July is less than a week away!

What do you like to do on the Fourth?

I love barbequing out with friends and family: flipping burgers, watching fireworks, and attempting to finish your ice cream cone before it drips down your hand. Of course, whenever I go to a BBQ I like to bring a dish along, whether watermelon or pasta salad, to contribute a little to the food supply. After all, twenty burgers and fifteen hot dogs only go so far when feeding a hungry, patriotic crowd! 😉

One of my favorite things to bring to a barbeque is dessert, after all it’s both a crowd pleasure and a nice fall back in case everyone else decides to bring the easiest summer staple: watermelon. Not to mention, if you decide to make a secretly healthy dessert, you’ll get the best of both worlds: delicious and not belt-busting.

This recipe is exactly that: healthy and a crowd-pleaser. These pies taste just like classic apple pie due to the sweet, date crust, use of classic apple pie spices, and slight caramelization of the apples in the oven. Plus, because they’re pre-portioned into cupcake-sized servings, there’s no worry of running out of pie before everyone gets a slice.

And on the health side of the equation, these pies aren’t made with any added sugar, white flour, or even butter. All natural, all delicious.

That’s how I like to spend my Independence Day!

Mini Apple Pies

• 1/2 c walnuts
• 1/2 c dates (10 dates)
• 1/2 tsp plus 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 large apples
• 1/4 tsp all spice
• 1 tbs flax seeds
• 2 tbs raw almond butter
• 1/4 c oats
• 1/4 c honey

Preheat oven to 350°F. Add walnuts and dates to food processor and pulse for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon and process until combined, and walnuts/dates have reached the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs. Slice apples, both lengthwise and width-wise. Add all spice, remaining 1/4 tsp cinnamon, flax seeds, almond butter, oats, and honey to a small bowl and stir until combined. Add apples to mixture and stir until fully coated. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Grease lightly with cooking spray. Portion out date/walnut mixture between cupcake liners, then press down into the bottom of each until firmly packed. Scoop a heaping spoonful of apple mixture into each, on top of the date layer, filling each about to the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden. Remove, let cool slightly, and enjoy!

Nutrition Information (from caloriecount.com)

(Yields 15 mini apple pies)