Peanut Butter & Apple Donut Snack Rings

What’s better than an apple? Apple and peanut butter. What’s better than apple and PB? These decorated apple PB doughnut rings!

As a Registered Nutritionist, I’m all about showcasing tasty ways to get more fruit and vegetables into our diet. This vegan-friendly snack idea fits the bill – it’s easy to make, nutritious and yummy.

While let’s not pretend it’s anything like a donut in taste, its fun to make and looks a little the decorated baked good, frosting and all. Here, we sprinkle PB topped apple with seeds, granola or coconut for some textural fun and more plant-based nutrient diversity.

Gather Ingredients

• Apple. Any size and variety will do. I find a small to medium apple, sliced into three thick pieces (and smeared with 1 teaspoon of pb per slice), is a good ratio for a snack.
• Peanut butter. Smooth or chunky is AOK. You can substitute in another nut butter, like almond or cashew, or even a seed butter, like sunflower. If you want to totally veer of course, Greek or coconut yoghurt works too.
• Your pick of toppings. Use up whatever’s lonely in your pantry. Try granola, shredded coconut, a sprinkle of cinnamon or a mix of seeds (like sunflower, pumpkin or hemp).

The best part is that the world’s your oyster with this snack. Switch up the apple variety, slice it how you please, use your favourite nut butter and go buck wild with toppings – there’s no apple police to stop you.

Step-by-Step: Peanut Butter Apple Rings

Kitchen Tips

Here are tips and tricks to grow your kitchen skills, while improving the final outcome of this dish:

• No apple corer? No problem. Once the apple is sliced, use a knife or iddy biddy cookie cutter to cut or punch out a hole.
• Pat dry the apple slices. This makes it easier to spread the PB. If you’ve got a natural drippy style this likely won’t be necessary, but for stiffer PB blends it can help. Just dab, dab, dab with a paper towel.
• PB too thick to spread? Add a teeny tiny splash of hot water or neutral flavoured oil and mix to the right consistency.

Serving & Storing

This snack is best prepped and eaten fresh. When apple is cut, oxygen from the air reacts with an enzyme in the apple held in check by the skin (release the kracken!) and kicks off a chemical reaction, turning the flesh brown.

To deter, and for peak flavour, freshness and texture, slice and prep right before you intend to eat. It’s a ready-in-five snack, so it won’t take up much time.

This recipe outlines a ratio of apple to nut butter as a snack for one, but feel free to scale up or down to meet your hunger needs or mouths to feed🍎.

Nutrition Q&A

Is apple and peanut butter a healthy snack idea? Yes! Both ingredients are nutritious foods, and when combined they create a harmonious blend of complementary nutrients.

Let’s take a closer look: apples are a good source of carbohydrates and fibre. On the other hand, peanut butter offers a dose of heart-healthy fats and protein.

Not only does this mean more nutrient diversity than if you were eating either alone (who hasn’t had a spoon of PB direct from the jar?!), but the presence of protein and fat in peanut butter can also slow down the release of energy from the apple. This, in turn, helps keep you feeling satisfied and full for a longer.

Thanks for reading! Are you after more tasty snack ideas featuring fruit? Try these banana oat cookies🍌.