Made with fresh apple compote, granola and almond chia milk, these delicious puddings are great for breakfast or as a healthy dessert. They’re also a nutritious snack for children.

Homemade apple compote, known as French applesauce, is simple to make and tastes better than any store-bought kind. My mother and grandmothers used to make it.

All that you need are apples, water and a bit of lemon juice to help prevent the apples from browning. Depending on your taste or the sweetness of your apples, you can add a touch of granulated sugar. For flavour, a pinch of cinnamon or vanilla works well, but don’t add too many flavourings or spices. The more natural, the better.

Apple compote tastes great as is or with ice cream, puddings or as a topping on desserts. It can be enjoyed warm or cold.

For this recipe, I prefer to make the compote beforehand and store it in a sealed container in the fridge. It will keep for 4-5 days. I also add my own granola, see here and here, but a good quality store-bought kind is also good.

Below are the recipes for the apple compote and chia puddings.

Apple compote

Serves 3-4 or more if used as a topping

Ingredients

• 3 medium-size sweet apples, peeled, cored and cubed (2 full cups cubed apples)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon granulated brown sugar or sugar cane
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon or pure vanilla

Procedure

Put the cubed apples, water and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan. Toss them gently for a minute so that they absorb the lemon juice. Place the saucepan under medium-high heat. When the mixture starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low and cover. Allow to cook whilst gently tossing the apples. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the apples are tender and to your liking. For extra sweetness or flavour, add sugar and/or cinnamon and toss over the heat for another two minutes.

Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Let the apples cool and then store them in fridge in a sealed container. Enjoy cold or heated. The compote will keep for 4 to 5 days in fridge.

Apple chia puddings

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond milk, homemade or store-bought * (see note)
• ¼  cup chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or pure vanilla
• Crunchy granola for topping, homemade (see here & here) or store-bought
• Apple compote for topping

* With store-bought almond milk, use an unsweetened brand.

Procedure

In a medium-size bowl, add the almond milk, chia seeds, maple syrup and cinnamon. Stir with a fork until all of the seeds are dispersed. Then cover and refridgerate for 30 minutes. Take out and give it another stir so that the mixture will gel evenly. Pour into 2 cups or jars, cover and allow to chill for at least one hour or overnight in fridge. Some people prefer the taste and texture the next day, so as desired! Alternatively, you can leave the mixture in the covered bowl in fridge and add to the ramekins when needed. Give puddings a final small stir in the cups and add the toppings.

Top with granola and apple compote. Can drizzle some maple syrup on top. Enjoy!