Lately I've been wondering on the label "sugar-free". To me, it means that no refined sugar has been added to the recipe and is usually sweetened by fruit. I know fruits have sugar, but it's natural sugars as part of a whole that come with fibers, carbs and definitely have a different effect on the body than consuming pure, refined sugars. I mean, I could call the recipes "refined sugar-free", but then there's a whole category of sweeteners that are considered unrefined, such as maple syrup and coconut sugar, which I also want to distinguish these recipes from. While those options might be better alternatives to refined white sugar, they're still concentrated forms of sugar and in my opinion, quite different to fruit such as dates. But what makes dates so different?
Dates have an excellent nutritional profile, high in fiber and antioxidants, including flavanoids, caroteniods and phenolic acid. These antioxidants are said to reduce the risk of a number of diseases including heart disease, cancer and diabetes. (Source) On the other hand, refined sugar has been linked to obesity, heart disease and certain types of cancer. So even though they both provide sweetness to recipes, there's a massive between the effects of date vs table sugar on the human body. (Source)
My main goal behind starting a blog that uses nothing but fruit to sweeten recipes is providing alternative ways to make desserts, without the use of table sugars, so people can enjoy having them without having to worry too much about any detrimental effects. Still, everything in moderation, but I dare say you have to moderate a bit less when the pie you're about to polish off doesn't contain loads of table sugar.
Which brings me to the main purpose of this blog post: A sugar-free vegan Apple Pie recipe, sweetened only with dates. It's such a delicious recipe, inspired my a family friend who used to make the best apple hand pies when I was a kid. That said, I'm generally too lazy to make bite sized pastry recipes because the assembly takes too long and I can't help but eat as I do it, so I made a whole apple pie instead.
The apartment smelled amazing when this pie was baking in the oven.. that strong cinnamon scent. If you only decide to make one recipe from this blog, I recommend you make this one. It's that good! And if you'd like to watch a step-by step video, you can do so by clicking here.
Quick tip: For a gluten-free and oil-free option, you can use the crust from the Blueberry Pie recipe I posted earlier.
Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
In a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and butter. Cut the butter into small pieces until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add in the water and vanilla extract and lightly knead until it forms a dough.
Press onto a lightly oiled pie tin and gently prick it with a fork (this prevents it from rising too much). Blind bake for 20 minutes and let cool while you prepare the filling.
For the filling, cook all the ingredients together in a pan. Make some most of the water has dissipated.
Pour the filling evenly onto the pre-baked crust and bake for another 15 minutes. (The crust will be golden brown, make sure the filling does not burn) Let cool and enjoy either as is or with a dollop of cashew cream (recipe in Reels).
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
In a mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and butter. Cut the butter into small pieces until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add in the water and vanilla extract and lightly knead until it forms a dough.
Press onto a lightly oiled pie tin and gently prick it with a fork (this prevents it from rising too much). Blind bake for 20 minutes and let cool while you prepare the filling.
For the filling, cook all the ingredients together in a pan. Make some most of the water has dissipated.
Pour the filling evenly onto the pre-baked crust and bake for another 15 minutes. (The crust will be golden brown, make sure the filling does not burn) Let cool and enjoy either as is or with a dollop of cashew cream (recipe in Reels).
