Spiced baked fruit breakfast topping

A fun way to spruce up waffles, oatmeal and more!

This not-too-sweet baked fruit is so delicious and a great way to add a lot more flavour and nutrition to many meals. We love it on waffles, pancakes, granola and porridge; it’s also delicious eaten on its own or with yogurt. You could even use it as a topping for ice cream! If you want to prepare this dish the night before so it’s ready to bake first thing in the morning, toss the fruit and lemon juice together then place in a large, non-metallic baking dish, cover and refrigerate. Mix the sugar and spices in another bowl and then in the morning, you’ll be ready to proceed with the rest of the assembly while the oven heats. Alternatively, you can bake the fruit the night before and refrigerate; in the morning, reheat for 10 – 15 minutes at 325F.

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500 mL) peeled, diced apples (about a 1/2 inch or 1.25 cm dice)
• 2 cups (500 mL) peeled, sliced pears or peaches (same sized dice as apples)
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 cup (250 mL) fresh cranberries
• 3/4 cup (185 mL) fresh blueberries (use the larger cultivated ones if you can find them)
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) maple or brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) powdered ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25) powdered nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped raw walnuts or pecans (optional but delicious)
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) butter, melted (use vegan butter or coconut oil if preferred)

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Combine the diced apples and pears in a large bowl. Sprinkle the lemon juice over top and toss to coat evenly. Add cranberries and blueberries and toss gently.
• In a small bowl, combine sugar and spices, then sprinkle over fruit; toss gently to coat evenly then transfer to a 9 x 12 inch (22.5 x 30 cm) non-metallic baking dish (or a metallic one lined with parchment). Spread out so the fruit is in an even layer.
• Toss the nuts in the bowl that held the fruit, then sprinkle the coated nuts over the fruit, using a spatula to clean out the bowl.
• Drizzle melted butter evenly over the fruit and nuts.
• Cover with a lid or foil and bake 30 minutes; remove lid and bake 10 minutes more.
• Serve warm.
• Leftover baked fruit can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Makes approximately 6 cups (1.5 L) of topping.