Holiday Apple Wreaths

hiiii, holidays! I can practically see you now. ‘Tis the season!

Who doesn’t love this time of year? I think I’ve already watched like 1000 Christmas movies (how I have the time, I don’t know…) I am definitely at 100 percent on the holiday spirit scale.

So to get you all in the holiday groove, I’m going to show you my holiday moves! And since apples are my favorite fall fruit, my moves most definitely involve making them festive!

Like, HOLIDAY APPLE WREATH festive. Adorable, right? Adorably delicious.

When I was a kid, this time of year meant decorating gingerbread houses and sugar cookies. I loved that tradition, but it also came with eating lots of candy. This can be your new HEALTHY treat tradition. Forget making gingerbread houses, make apple wreaths instead! They’re easier to make and healthier to eat. These edible apple wreaths also make for a really fun activity.

I mean, how fun would this be for those of you who have kids? Or, for those of you who are like me and want to organize an apple wreath decorating party for friends who, like me, are also in their late 20s (yes, I am in my “late 20s” until the day I turn 30). Really though, this would be a fun activity for everyone at your next holiday party.

Let me talk about the star of these apple wreaths: almond butter! It is literally the glue holding the toppings on the wreaths.

I bought the almond butter and several of the toppings from ALDI. I actually only recently learned that they sell things like almond butter, cashew butter, nuts, etc. and at a price that’s a lot cheaper than what I normally spend. $5.99 for a 12 ounce jar of almond butter? Yes, please.

So why am I talking about ALDI? Well I’ve been meaning to tell you that a few weeks ago, they invited me to visit their headquarters in the suburbs of Chicago! (If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably already knew that). Apparently, someone at ALDI found the blog post that I wrote earlier this year called Real Food at ALDI and so they asked me to come check out their Test Kitchen. I took part in their Switch & Save session, where they basically had me + other bloggers do a blind taste test of their products vs. the national brand. I tried things like almond butter, orange juice, guacamole, tortilla chips, etc. And to be honest, the products all tasted nearly identical. I also tried a lot of goodies from their gluten-free line (do you see them in the picture below? Many are also dairy and soy-free!).

I never expected to be an ALDI fan – I only started shopping there a few months ago (in combination with my local farmers markets of course). But ever since writing the Real Food at ALDI post and since visiting their office, I’ve found myself going there more often – especially for nuts, nut butters, and other gluten-free items. What I like about ALDI is that they appear to be listening to us – the consumers. We want healthy food at an affordable price and they’re giving that to us with options like grassfed beef, organic vegetables, non-gmo foods.

While I was there, I also found out that they’re removing all certified synthetic colors, partially hydrogenated oils and added msg from all of their products by the end of this year, which is literally a month away (hello, December – I see you!).

You can find most of the ingredients used in this recipe at ALDI: organic apples, almond butter and toppings! Or you can use whatever you have available at home. This is a really simple, stress-free recipe that will hopefully become your new healthy holiday tradition!

Oh, just don’t be surprised if the toppings end up everywhere… (yes, 100 percent talking from experience).

Here are some fun topping ideas for you:

My personal favorite combination: apple slice + almond butter + JUICY pomegranate arils, mini chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds and slivered almonds.

Holiday Apple Wreaths

Holiday Apple Wreaths

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Ingredients

 

• ▢ Apples cored and sliced
• ▢ Almond butter or another type of nut/seed butter

Toppings:

• ▢ Pomegranate arils
• ▢ Slivered almonds
• ▢ Pumpkin seeds
• ▢ Dried cranberries
• ▢ Chocolate chips
• ▢ Coconut shreds
• ▢ Crushed nuts walnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios
• ▢ Raisins
• ▢ Cinnamon
• ▢ Hemp Seeds

Instructions

 

• Spread nut or seed butter on top of the apples (or add the nut butter to a zip top bag and snip a corner to make spreading easier).
• Decorate with toppings of choice!

Notes

If you don’t plan on decorating the apple slices right away, then first soak them in a bowl of lemon water (ratio of 1 cup water to 1 tablespoon lemon or pineapple juice) for 3-4 minutes to keep them from browning right away.

Did you make this recipe?Tag @myheartbeets on Instagram and hashtag it #myheartbeets!

PAID ENDORSEMENT DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by ALDI. I received compensation to write this post, but as always, opinions and text are all mine.