These 4-Ingredient Cookie Crumble Air Fryer Apples Are Packed With Protein and Fiber (and We’ll Be Eating Them for Breakfast Until Further Notice)

If venturing to the local orchard is a must-do fall activity for you, here’s one genius way to use the entire haul from your next apple picking adventure: cookie crumble air fryer apples. In case the name wasn’t enough to make you swoon, rest assured that this nutrient-rich recipe is as easy as it gets—aside from apples, you only need three ingredients to make it.

For starters, it’s packed with protein and fiber. As the saying goes, eating an apple day keeps the doctor away, and we’re thrilled to test the theory out ourselves… especially if it means eating a sweet, warm apple topped with a crunchy cookie crumble on repeat.

How to make cookie crumble air fryer apples

In a recent Instagram video by @goodnessavenue, Caitlin Rule, BHSc, a nutritionist, shares how to make this delicious fall breakfast (or dessert) dish. In addition to the fact that her recipe only calls for four ingredients, it requires very minimal prep work, which is a life saver when you’re pressed for time—say, every single morning—but still want something nutritious and energizing to nosh on.

Rule starts by cutting a crisp apple straight down the middle from the stem to the bottom, cores it to remove the seeds, and dusts each half with cinnamon. Next, she lightly spritzes the surface with olive oil to help the apples cook more evenly and pops them into the air fryer until golden brown and soft. To make this recipe a true standout, Rule adds a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt and, the real star of the show, cookie crumbles from a protein-packed Lenny & Larry’s The Complete Chocolate Chip Cookie.

Health benefits of this air fryer apples recipe

Apples are not only super convenient to snack on, but they’re also a great source of fiber (both the insoluble and soluble kinds) that help promote a healthier gut. Plus, when it comes to apples, it’s not just what’s on the inside that counts. Apple peels and skins contain up to 332 percent more vitamin K, 142 percent more vitamin A, and 115 percent more vitamin C than their peeled counterpart, Megan Rossi, PhD, RD, a dietitian, gut health research fellow at King’s College London, and author of How to Eat More Plants,previously told Well+Good.

Meanwhile, research shows that cinnamon contains antioxidant properties, making it one of the top anti-inflammatory spices (along with ginger, clove, and nutmeg, to name a few) that you’ll definitely want to keep in your cupboard at all times. And olive oil, a staple of the Mediterranean diet, is made of primarily monounsaturated fats including oleic acid, which is also linked to lowering inflammation.

Now, while an air-fried cinnamon apple would be delicious on its own, adding protein-packed ingredients like Greek yogurt helps make this recipe a well-balanced option for breakfast. Yogurt, especially Greek yogurt, is beaming with health benefits—it’s rich in calcium, protein, B vitamins, and is often enriched with vitamin D, which may improve bone density and help prevent cardiovascular disease. And aside from its impressive nutritional value, yogurt adds a decadently creamy texture to this delicious recipe and pairs perfectly with the protein cookie crumble (one Lenny & Larry’s The Complete Chocolate Chip Cookie has 16 grams of protein) that tops each apple. Sign. Me. Up.

Cookie crumble air fryer apples recipe

Yields 6 servings

Ingredients

3 applesCinnamon, to tasteOlive oil spray, as neededGreek yogurt1 Lenny & Larry’s The Complete Chocolate Chip Cookie

1. Cut the apples in half and scoop out the core.

2. Rub each half with cinnamon, lightly spray with oil, and then air fry at 320°F for 15 minutes.

3. Crumble up the cookie with your hands.

4. Top each apple with a dollop of yogurt, and the cookie crumbles. Enjoy!

Picked waaay too many apples at the farm, again? Here’s a last-minute skillet apple crisp recipe to ensure no apples go to waste ever again: