Padeedledunk with Apple Butter Frozen Yogurt with Sunflower Seed Butter Praline Swirl

My mom's family has a family recipe for apple crisp for which my Grandpa Langlois made up the name "Padeedledunk."  The original recipe consists of lots of butter, white flour, white sugar, and some oats baked over apples or canned peaches. While Padeedledunk is totally delicious in its original form, I have updated the recipe a bit to better fit the diet of my immediate family, which is much heavier on the whole grains and lighter on the sugar and saturated fats.  We served this version to company for dessert this past weekend with some homemade apple butter frozen yogurt with sunflower seed butter praline swirl. (The name for the yogurt makes it sound way more complex than it is, so please don't be put off by that.) While it is a great dessert when paired with the frozen yogurt or just some vanilla coconut milk ice cream, I have been known to let Sawyer eat my Padeedledunk for breakfast. I know, I know; I am just not a sugar-free mom. I believe in treats--that they can be wholesome but still yummy and that in moderation they are an essential part of a healthy, satisfying diet.

For the Padeedledunk:

1 ½ c. rolled oats, ground fine in food processor (a bit chunkier than oat flour)

¾ cup rolled oats

1 cup white whole wheat flour or spelt flour

¼ tsp salt

¼ c. brown rice syrup or maple syrup

¼ c. agave nectar

1/3 c. melted coconut oil or canola oil

4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and finely sliced

1 Tbsp. liquid sweetener

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 in. pan. 

2. Combine apples, sweetener, and cinnamon in the oiled pan and press them down.

3. In a medium mixing bowl mix together oats, flour, and salt. Add brown rice syrup, agave, and oil and mix together with a fork until you have evenly moistened crumbs. 

4. Evenly spread the oat topping over the apples. 

5. Bake for 25-30 mins. in preheated oven, until top is slightly browned.

For the frozen yogurt:

½ c. coconut milk

1 ½ c. oat milk

½ c. apple butter

6 oz. plain non-dairy yogurt

2 Tbsp. melted soy-free Earth Balance margarine

¼ c. sunflower seed butter

¼ c. agave nectar

punch of sea salt

¼ c. candied sunflower seeds*

1. Combine the coconut milk, oat milk, apple butter, yogurt, and melted earth Balance in a blender and puree until smooth. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
2. In a food processor combine the sunflower seed butter, agave, sea salt, and sunflower seeds and pulse to combine, leaving the seeds in tiny bits.
3. Once the yogurt is frozen, scoop it into a large container for storing in the freezer, pour the sunflower seed butter praline on top, and swirl it in with a spoon. Quickly place in the freezer and re-freeze for about an hour to firm it up before serving.

* To make candied sunflower seeds:

1/2 Tbsp. soy-free Earth Balance, coconut, or canola oil
1/4 c. raw sunflower seeds
1/2 Tbsp. agave nectar
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Melt the Earth Balance in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the sunflower seeds and stir around for a few minutes until they start to smell toasty and are browning a bit. Add the agave, salt, and cinnamon and stir around for a few more minutes; be careful they don't burn. Remove the seeds from the heat and allow to cool.