Lighten up the holiday dessert table with these fruit filled mini babka bites.
Good news. You can celebrate the holiday baking season with healthier desserts options.
Since much of the upcoming holidays involve being at the table, this month’s Recipe Redux theme is all about ‘Trimming the Table” with healthier desserts. Due to my weakness for babka, I decided to mix up a healthier version of this popular yeast cake.
This version is made with 50% whole wheat flour. Instead of filling it with a ton of sugar, I opted for adding an apple cranberry mixture. If you’re a fan of cranberry sauce, you’ll love this.
Plus, since everything is better bite sized, the dough is baked in muffin tins instead of the traditional loaf pan. Hello portion control.
Everything is better with cranberry sauce, right? Instead of the typical chocolate or cinnamon babka, this filling is made up of a cooked apples and cranberry layer.
After rolling the dough into a log it’s split in half. Twist these two pieces together to expose the layers of filling. Yum.
Cut into individual pieces…aka holiday portion control.
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Apple & Cranberry Babka Bites
Bake a healthier babka with individual apple & cranberry babka dessert bites. It's the perfect way to have cranberry sauce for dessert this holiday season.
Ingredients
Dough
- 5 ounces warm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1½ teaspoon yeast
- ¾ cup (102 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (112 grams) white whole wheat flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil + more to grease bowl
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Filling
- 2 apples, diced (2½-3 cups)
- 1 cup cranberries
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Oil spray
Instructions
Yeast Dough
Dissolve the sugar in warm water. Stir in the yeast. Set aside to bloom for 5-10 minutes. The yeast is active and ready to use when it becomes fragrant and foamy.
Meanwhile, combine the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl. Once the yeast is active, add it to the bowl along with the remaining dough ingredients. Stir together until the mixture comes together to a wet dough.
Transfer to an oiled bowl & cover with plastic wrap or place in a large zip top bag. Let dough rise in a warm area, for 1-1½ hours. (See Note below for details on how to prepare the dough in advance)
Cranberry Apple Filling
Halfway into the rising time, prepare the filling. Add the diced apples, cranberries, maple syrup and water to a saucepan. Cover and cook over a medium heat 20-25 minutes until the liquid has evaporated. Mix occasionally and be careful not to burn the bottom.
Shape Into Babka
Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Roll out as thin as possible, into a rectangular shape (approximately 12 × 22 inches). Brush with oil and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Spread the cranberry apple mixture over the dough.
Starting from the longer end, roll into a log. Use a knife with a pointed tip to cut the log in half, leaving 2 inches at the top uncut. Carefully twist these two pieces together by moving one piece on top of the other. Once you reach the end, cut the 2 inches at the top in half and twist these as well. This step can be messy.
Cut the twisted log into 12 equal pieces. Place into greased muffin tins (cut side should not be facing down like when making cinnamon buns). Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest 30-45 minutes.
Bake The Babka Bites
Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove plastic wrap and bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden brown. Allow babka bites to sit for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.
Notes
How to Prepare the Dough in Advance
Prepare the babka dough as instructed. Instead of letting it rise for 1-1½ hours in a warm place, refrigerate it overnight. Remove the dough from the refrigerator an hour before continuing with the recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 137Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 53mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 3gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g
These look so yummy. Thanks for the introduction to babka!
These look so delish! The boyf would LOVE em!