This confection has a natural contrast in flavor that makes it truly delicious and delightful. The dehydrated apples provide a touch of tartness as opposed to the sweet apple fruit roll. This is then paired with pecans and dates that make up the flavorful base. A sprinkle of shredded coconut rounds out the dish.

Apple Confection

Filling Ingredients:
2 cups soaked and dehydrated pecans
4 medium sized apples
20 medium sized pitted dates
½ cup filtered water
¼ cup maple syrup
½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. Himalayan sea salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. melted coconut oil
½ cup almond milk

Directions:
Take two apples and cut them into small to medium sized pieces. Take 1 cup of the pecans cut into medium sized pieces. Set both aside.

Place the dates and water into a high speed blender. Blend until creamy smooth creating a date paste. Add syrup, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, almond milk, 1 cup pecans to the date paste. Blend until creamy smooth. Add the melted coconut oil to the mixture. Blend until evenly incorporated. Pour the filling into a large bowl. Add the chopped pecans and the chopped apples to the filling. Hand mix until evenly mixed. Set aside.

Crust Ingredients:
20 medium sized pitted dates
½ cup filtered water
1/8 cup maple syrup
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tbsp. melted coconut oil
½ cup flaxseed meal

Directions:
Place the dates and water into a high speed blender. Blend until creamy. Place the flax seed in a coffee grinder and grind into meal. Remove the date paste from the blender and put it into a large bowl. Add salt, vanilla, coconut oil, maple syrup, pecans, and flax seed meal to the date paste. Hand mix until evenly distributed.

Take a 6 ½” x 3” spring form pan with a removable bottom and coat the inside with coconut oil. Take the crust mixture and place it in the pan. Tamp it down with a press so that it is evenly distributed in the pan. Make a ½” layer. Now take the filling and place it on top of the crust in the pan. Tamp it down until the layer of filling is 1” thick.

Place the pan into the dehydrator for 1 hour at 145 degrees. Remove from the dehydrator, open the pan itself, and remove the side of the from the confection leaving the bottom intact. Place the bottom with the confection back into the dehydrator. Dehydrate for 8 hours at 115 degrees. Remove from the dehydrator and take a long spatula to separate the confection from the bottom of the pan. Place onto a decorative plate. Set aside.

Dehydrated Apple Rings:
Directions:
Take the remaining two apples. Core and slice the apples horizontally. Place onto a dehydrator tray with a teflex sheet and sprinkle both sides of the slices with coconut oil. Sprinkle cinnamon on the top of the slices. Top with some shredded coconut. Place in the dehydrator for 1 hour at 145 degrees. Flip them over after an hour, sprinkle them with cinnamon and shredded coconut. Place them back into the dehydrator at 115 degrees for 8 hours.

Apple Fruit Roll Ingredients:
1 cup apple (chopped)
20 medium sized pitted dates
½ cup filtered water
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. Himalayan sea salt
¼ cup maple syrup

Directions:
Place the dates and water in a high speed blender. Blend until creamy smooth to create the date paste. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, salt, maple syrup, and apples to the paste. Blend until creamy smooth. Pour the mixture onto teflex sheets. The mixture must be rolled evenly onto the sheet in a thin layer. Make sure that the layer is not so thin that the roll breaks after dehydration. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for 3 to 5 hours. You want to be able to peel it off the teflex sheet when done. Place the roll onto a mesh sheet with another mesh sheet over the top of the roll. Place back into the dehydrator in between the two mesh sheets for another 2 hours. If it gets too dry, spritz it with a little water. If it is not dry enough, keep dehydrating until dry throughout.

Assembly:
Take ½ of the dehydrated apple slices and cut them into small chunks. Take the apple roll and with a round cutter, cut out 5 round circles. Take each circle, squeeze the center with your fingers. Take the other hand and spread the top into a flower shape. Take the remaining apple roll and break it up into different sized pieces. This will be sprinkled on top of the apple confection. Take the apple chunks and sprinkle them on top of the confection. Sprinkle the apple roll and some shredded coconut on top of the confection. Place the florets that were just created and place them in the center of the top, creating one large flower. Take the apple slices and place them around the edge of the plate. Please refer to the photo for assembly. Note: There will be left over filling and crust. You can use both for other recipes with this. Suggestions: You can make cookies, rounds, or whatever you choose.

Store in an airtight container for 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Will last up to 1 month sealed in the freezer.