Baked apples in honey with a touch of spices, sauteed in brown butter, are creating the most aromatic syrup thus producing a phenomenal flavor. Tastes like dessert, minus the added sugar!
I hope you'll make this recipe soon. If you do, please tag me #innichka_chef on Instagram, Facebook, Patreon or Pinterest.
I consider myself an appleholic! The area where I'm from in my home country Ukraine, it is famous for apples. Apples, apples of different kinds that are not very popular in other parts of the world. They cultivate some unique varieties for sure. I love having huge selections of apples because I never tire of eating them daily. Literally, I could eat apples at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I love eating foods when they are in season and apples are officially in season! There are so many different nutritious varieties to try but just make sure you choose organic because apples, like grapes, are one of the most heavily sprayed fruits ever and are at the top of the dirty dozen list every year!
The recipe I'm offering you today is from a Ukrainian book that dates back to the 18th century. And surprisingly to many folks, like my mom's generation (she is in her 80's), spices have been a big part of Ukrainian cuisine before the arrival of the Soviet Union Era and enjoyed partaking in the spice trade market. Ukraine is a rich soil country and many things they grew were exchanged for exotic spices.
BAKED APPLES ARE GREAT FOR CHILDREN
These healthy baked apples just happen to be one of my kids’ very favorite side dishes. So what if it’s really simple! It’s healthy, tasty, and a perfect way to round out any meal, especially in the fall months.
If you have kids who don’t like fruit (I guess they exist, but I wouldn’t know since my kids are fruit monsters), try these simple baked apples. Sometimes just serving something in a different way will do the trick.
WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE THESE BAKED APPLES?
Pretty simple and very straight forward ingredients:
Apples - if you can't find Rocki Tiny apples, use green baking apples such as Granny Smith, like I did in the video, but the truth is you can use any apples that can hold their shape nicely during the baking process.
Honey - I like to use raw local honey, that's what I have on hand, but please use any honey that you like.
Spices - anise stars, cinnamon sticks, and bay leaves.
Butter - salted or unsalted is up to you. I used salted grass fed butter.
WHAT DO I LIKE ABOUT THESE BAKED APPLES?
Simplicity of this recipe.
Easy to find the ingredients.
Last for 2-3 weeks in the fridge.
Can be served in many ways.
No special equipment needed.
Gluten free and no refined sugar.
Healthy recipe and great for everybody.
And last but not least, it is very healthy.
HOW TO SERVE THESE BAKED APPLES
It can be served as it is or makes for a beautiful addition to vanilla or salted caramel ice cream. Also, it is great over waffles, biscuits, toast, pancakes, and crepes.
I very much like them with buckwheat pancakes or buckwheat crepes, because there is something about buckwheat and apples. They love each other.
Or EAT as it is to finish off a nice fall meal!
WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT THE SPICES FOR THESE BAKED APPLES?
It's not a secret that spices are the stars of my kitchen. Spices are something I use every single meal. Even when I travel, I pack a number of my spices.
Spices are medicine without question. Please, check out the video-tour of my spice pantry.
In this recipe, I followed the Ukrainian book recipe to a tee and used all 3 spices, 2 of each:
All these spices are inexpensive and amazing for our bodies, and offer several potential health benefits, including:
Improved digestion!
Regulation of blood sugar levels!
Providing antioxidants!
Aiding in weight management!
Boosting the immune system overall!
Improve blood circulation!
MORE APPLE RECIPES
Let's do it...
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 35-50 minutes
Total time: 40-55 minutes
Yield: 6-9 servings as a side dish
Author: Inna of innichkachef.com
Ingredients
16 oz raw local honey
6 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup butter salted
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Wash apples and paper dry. Cut them into wedges.
Place apples into a Dutch oven or sometimes I like to use a bean pot. Cover them with honey, insert cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and anise stars. Cover and bake for 35-40 minutes. Once the apples have baked, take them from the oven and remove the lid to allow the apples to cool just a bit.
To make brown butter, take the butter and place in a pan with a heavy bottom, cook for two minutes on low heat, or until you see the butter turning into a brown color. Keep a close watch during this process to prevent the butter from burning!
Add your apple wedges to the pan, without juices. Place a few at the time, so they lay nicely and aren't overcrowded. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Repeat with the rest of the apples.
Serve sautéed apple wedges with the juices that accumulate during the baking process. The juice is unbelievably aromatic!
Notes on apples
The original recipe called for whole uncut little apples, but this kind of apple is hard to find in a regular supermarket, and that's why I suggested Granny Smith. Also, using sliced apples cuts down the time of cooking compared to the original recipe. (In the video I cooked them for 60 minutes, but 35 minutes would be enough).
If you ever come across Rocki Tiny apples, they are perfect for this recipe. This naturally small mini apple offers big flavor and is also perfect for snacking, packing size for a lunch box or as a slice-free eating apple.
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