HELLO Christmas! I am so stinkin' excited about Christmas, I can't even tell you! Last year, we had Christmas, but we literally moved out of our house on the 24th and then stayed with relatives - so, woke up Christmas morning with family, which was wonderful, but you know - just not the same as waking up in your own home.
And then we left for Medellin, Colombia on the 26th. So, all wonderful things, right? ...we were buying a new home, getting to travel, surrounded by family - which can be awesome and not awesome all at the same time! Ha! #family So - I am not complaining in the least, but I've been ready for a calm, peaceful, easy Christmas in my own home ALL year!
IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!
To tell you how excited I've been, I came up with this recipe about 5 months ago and have been hanging onto it, twiddling my thumbs until we got closer to the Holidays! I made it in July and Mo walked in the door and said, "It smells like Christmas in here!" I joked that we were celebrating Christmas in July!
This is not one of my easier recipes - well, the bread is, but the sea salt caramel takes a bit of time and attention. But, all things worth it, do, right? And if you don't like apples - leave them out! Simple as that!
This is a great make-ahead breakfast for Christmas morning, or any morning! It will leave your house smelling like the holidays!
You can make the bread and caramel a day or two in advance and simply slice the bread, lay each slice on a sheet pan and place it under the broiler in your oven for 4-5 minutes. It will crisp up just a bit. While doing this, pour the caramel into a small pot over medium/low heat and get it warm. Drizzle the caramel over each slice of bread and serve! Voila! So easy and De-lish! You won't miss that coffee cake! Trust me!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9” loaf pan with coconut oil cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk to get the lumps out of the flours – you can also use your hands for this. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla extract, coconut milk, maple syrup, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, eggs and coconut oil. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir well with a spatula to combine.
Peel and finely chop the apple and fold into the mixture.
Pour into the loaf pan and place into the oven to bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the bread is baking, make the sea salt caramel.
Combine the coconut milk, coconut sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature, keeping the sauce at a light simmer.
Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. As the sauce reaches the last 5-8 minutes of cooking time, stir more frequently incorporating the more caramel burned bits from the bottom into the sauce. This helps to flavor it! Once the sauce has turned a dark amber and has thickened to coat the back of a spoon, remove from the heat.
Add the coconut oil and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
Leave on the counter to cool for 30 minutes and then refrigerate for another 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to drizzling over the bread.
The sea salt caramel recipe makes 1 cup – you will only need approx. ¼ cup for the bread – so, you will have leftovers – you’re welcome!)
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9” loaf pan with coconut oil cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk to get the lumps out of the flours – you can also use your hands for this. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla extract, coconut milk, maple syrup, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, eggs and coconut oil. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir well with a spatula to combine.
Peel and finely chop the apple and fold into the mixture.
Pour into the loaf pan and place into the oven to bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the bread is baking, make the sea salt caramel.
Combine the coconut milk, coconut sugar and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature, keeping the sauce at a light simmer.
Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. As the sauce reaches the last 5-8 minutes of cooking time, stir more frequently incorporating the more caramel burned bits from the bottom into the sauce. This helps to flavor it! Once the sauce has turned a dark amber and has thickened to coat the back of a spoon, remove from the heat.
Add the coconut oil and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
Leave on the counter to cool for 30 minutes and then refrigerate for another 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to drizzling over the bread.
