I love parties. I love the food, the community, and the good times that come from a gathering. But I’m not going to lie, having food sensitivities can make the idea of going to a party and navigating “party food” a little bit of a nightmare. I’ve often been left with the question, what “healthy” food can I bring to a party? I hate bringing a plate of food to a party and having to apologize for it. I’m sure you’ve done it before. You know the Sorry-it-may-taste-a-little-different-It’s-healthy speech, but these AIP Bacon Wrapped Apples require no apologies and they are a great AIP appetizer.
These AIP Bacon Wrapped Apples combine sweet and earthy flavors with rosemary, cinnamon, and coconut sugar. It takes just a few simple ingredients and they are pretty fast to make. Plus, for being such a simple appetizer, the presentation is beautiful.
Also, when it comes to these AIP appetizers I’m just going to say, they are wrapped in bacon, so what could go wrong? (nothing, nothing could go wrong, because bacon makes everything taste better. Am I right?) Trust me, the plate will be gone before you know what happened, and you will become the most popular person at the party. So let’s get to the good part. How do we make these delicious appetizers?
Tips on Making AIP & Paleo Bacon Wrapped Apples
My favorite type of apples to use for this appetizer is Gala apples. They have just a bit of tang that compliments the salty crispy bacon and medley of seasonings. Of course, feel free to experiment with different varieties of apples to see what kind of flavor combinations you like the best.
For this kind of appetizer, thin bacon works the best. It gives the apple slice full coverage without overpowering the apple. Also make sure to find a nitrate free bacon option to stay 100% AIP compliant.
If you don’t eat pork bacon, you can definitely go for turkey bacon. Since turkey bacon tends to be less fatty than pork bacon, you will definitely want to take the extra step and coat each apple in oil before sprinkling them with seasoning.
To make this recipe Whole 30 compliant, simply leave out the coconut sugar. The Bacon Wrapped Apples will still taste delicious!
How to Make AIP Bacon Wrapped Apples
Start by slicing the apple into quarters, and then cut each quarter into quarters or thirds. You should have between 12-16 slices per apple. Don’t go thicker than that or you run the risk of burning the bacon before the apple slice is completely cooked through.
Next, take your slices of bacon and cut them in half. Cut the whole stack at once instead of cutting each individual piece.
Take each apple slice and wrap the bacon around them. Set each apple slice on a cookie sheet or in a cake pan. The bacon can produce a lot of grease so you want to cook the apples in something that has a lip around it so that the grease won’t drip in the oven.
Make sure that the loose end of the bacon is on the underside of the apple so it does not curl off the apple while it is baking.
If using turkey bacon, coat each apple with avocado oil or other AIP compliant oil (if you are using pork bacon, you can skip this step).
Once you have the apples lined out on the cookie sheet, sprinkle each apple with cinnamon, coconut sugar, and rosemary. I only seasoned one side, but you can do both.
Place the cookie sheet in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the apple slices are soft. You can checked how cooked the apples are by testing the firmness of the apple with a fork. If the fork goes through easily, the apples are cooked through.
When you are finished, arrange on a serving plate and enjoy!
If you're looking for more healthy appetizer ideas, check these out!
AIP Bacon Wrapped Apples
Ingredients
- 2-3 Apples sliced
- 1 lb Thin sliced bacon or turkey bacon
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1-2 Teaspoons Rosemary
- Avocado oil if using turkey bacon
Instructions
- Start by slicing the apple into quarters, and then cut each quarter into quarters or thirds. You should have between 12-16 slices per apple.
- Next, take your slices of bacon and cut them in half. Cut the whole stack at once instead of cutting each individual piece.
- Take each apple slice and wrap the bacon around them. Set each apple slice on a cookie sheet or in a cake pan. The bacon can produce a lot of grease so you want to cook it in something that has a lip around it so that the grease won’t drip in the oven.
- Make sure that the loose end of the bacon is on the underside of the apple so it does not curl off the apple while it is baking.
- If using turkey bacon, coat each apple with avocado oil or other AIP compliant oil (if you are using pork bacon, you can skip this step).
- Once you have the apples lined out on the cookie sheet, sprinkle each apple with cinnamon, coconut sugar, and rosemary. I only seasoned one side, but you can do both.
- Place the cookie sheet in the oven at 375 and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the apples are soft.
