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    Sweet cooked apples recipe

    By Julia | Updated: Sep 15, 2024 | Published: Dec 04, 2013 | 107 Comments

    103.9K shares
    • Facebook976
    Jump to Recipe Print SaveSaved!
    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

    Sweet apples, such as Fuji, cooked in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. What could be better? These sweet cooked apples are perfect for pie filling, as toppings over desserts. They make great crepe filling and are delicious when served warm with ice cream.

    Sweet apples cooked in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract

     

    Am I the only one who is having a hard time getting back into the kitchen after a week of Thanksgiving feasting? I've been eating so much over the last 10 days, I am not even hungry any more.

    So, please forgive me for this very basic cooked apples recipe today. So simple and easy but don't let the simplicity fool you: these cinnamon and vanilla cooked apples are DELICIOUS:

    Sweet apples cooked in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract

    How to serve cooked apples

    • Sweet cooked apples are great for breakfast as a topping over pancakes, waffles, or even over oatmeal.
    • They also work great on their own, as a simple dessert, served warm with vanilla ice cream: it's like having an apple pie without a crust.
    • Use these cinnamon and vanilla cooked apples as a simple pie filling, or as a tart crust filling.
    • They are also great for stuffing the crepes.

    fresh Fuji apples on a table

    The smell of apples cooking in brown sugar with all the spices made it impossible to resist taking little bites as I was cooking. Beware! These sweet cooked apples are super addictive!

    Sweet apples cooked in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract

    Fuji apple on a table

    sweet cooked apples recipe with cinnamon nutmeg and vanilla
    4.84 from 125 votes

    Sweet cooked apples recipe

    Sweet apples, such as Fuji, cooked in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. What could be better? These sweet cooked apples are perfect for pie filling, as toppings over desserts. They make great crepe filling and are delicious when served warm with ice cream.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories per serving 280 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons butter unsalted
    • 4 apples sweet, such as Fuji, cored, peeled and sliced
    • ⅓ cup water
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    • ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ¼ teaspoons corn starch
    • ⅓ cup water

    Instructions 

    • Melt butter in a large skillet, add sliced apples and cook for a couple of minutes to soften them up. Add ⅓ cup of water, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract and stir really well, while on low-medium heat, to combine with apples.
    • Dissolve corn starch in the remaining ⅓ cup of water. Add to the apple mixture in the skillet and bring to boil. Boil for about a minute until mixture thickens to the desired thickness. Remove from heat (do not overcook apples). Ready to serve!

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Sweet cooked apples recipe
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    280
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    8
    g
    12
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    5
    g
    31
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    22
    mg
    7
    %
    Sodium
     
    86
    mg
    4
    %
    Potassium
     
    231
    mg
    7
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    53
    g
    18
    %
    Fiber
     
    4
    g
    17
    %
    Sugar
     
    45
    g
    50
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    360
    IU
    7
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    8.3
    mg
    10
    %
    Calcium
     
    36
    mg
    4
    %
    Iron
     
    0.4
    mg
    2
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition Disclaimer:

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Keyword cinnamon apples, cooked apples
    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. William

      April 18, 2025 at 6:09 pm

      I was wondering can you can this recipes to keep it shelf stable for a long period of time?

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 08, 2025 at 6:34 pm

        Hi William, I've never done any canning so I can't help you here, unfortunately.

        Reply
    2. Linda

      May 05, 2024 at 2:22 pm

      You say 10 min to prep, 20 mon to cook but the recipe says cook 2 minutes to mix everything then cook another minute when you add corn starch, where does the 20 minutes of cooking come from?

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 05, 2024 at 7:41 pm

        Yes, Linda, you are correct, the apples should be cooked for no more than 5 minutes! I just corrected the cooking times! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Becky

      February 17, 2024 at 6:53 pm

      I used to always cook green June apples but ran out of them. Looked up how to cook sweet apples. Found your recipe and my husband and I LOVE them this way. Thanks for sharing it.

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 17, 2024 at 11:51 pm

        Becky, I am so glad you found my recipe and that you both loved it! ❤️ Thank you for the 5-star review and this comment. ❤️

        Reply
      • Woody

        February 21, 2024 at 12:59 pm

        Julia, Your recipe for the sweet cooked apples was good, not great! Forget the corn starch! Made the apples slimy, like when you cook okra. Is there another way to thicken slightly?

        Reply
        • Julia

          February 23, 2024 at 7:41 pm

          Woody, the only thing that comes to mind is blending some of the cooked apples and then stirring that in with the rest of the apples. Gradually, so that it thickens to your liking. Or, maybe use applesauce to thicken these?

          Reply
    4. Jessica Carrillo

      August 04, 2023 at 5:33 pm

      I made these to top pancakes and my family loved them! Then we had leftovers with vanilla ice cream! Definitely will be making these again!

      Reply
    5. Jeanne Mason

      April 04, 2023 at 11:58 pm

      Can I make and cook these a couple days before serving ? Would they be as good reheated on Easter ? Thx so much. My dad wants the apples like they do at Cracker Barrel? Are these the same recipe ? Happy Easter. Thx for your great suggestions and recipes.

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 07, 2023 at 11:02 pm

        Jeanne, this is a very late response, but anyway - yes, you an cook these a couple of days before serving. In this case, I would definitely use apples with firmer texture. I would also undercook them a bit, since you will be reheating them later which will soften them further.

        Reply
    6. Cathy

      March 16, 2023 at 12:17 am

      My family absolutely loves this cooked apples recipe. Do you think that they would freeze well or will they get watery when defrosted?

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 18, 2023 at 4:50 pm

        Cathy, I think they should freeze just fine. Especially if you use firmer apples to begin with.

        Reply
    7. David Hawley

      March 15, 2023 at 1:34 am

      Just what I was looking for to put in my homemade puff pastry dough. Thanks for sharing, Julia.
      Best Regards,
      Dave

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 18, 2023 at 5:14 pm

        Dave, these cooked apples would delicious in a pastry dough! Love it!

        Reply
    8. Kathy

      January 06, 2023 at 8:29 pm

      Thank you for posting this easy recipe! You apologized earlier for this being an easy recipe. But you never know when someone like me, who knows what goes into the recipe, but doesn't remember how much of each ingredient.

      Reply
      • Kathy

        January 06, 2023 at 8:33 pm

        PS - I forgot to say that I prepared my apples just as you instructed. THEY WERE DELICIOUS! Just like my mom used to make.

        Reply
        • Julia

          January 07, 2023 at 8:01 pm

          Kathy, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂

          Reply
      • Julia

        January 07, 2023 at 8:01 pm

        Kathy, I am so happy you found this recipe helpful. Thank you for this positive comment and 5-stars! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Pam

      November 30, 2022 at 6:48 pm

      Oh my I can’t wait to make these!! I’m going to use them for a cheesecake topping!

      Reply
      • Julia

        December 05, 2022 at 10:54 pm

        Pam, that's an excellent idea - to use this as a topping for cheesecake! I love cheesecakes with real fruit toppings - they are so good!

        Reply
    10. Robbie Ann Crawford

      November 20, 2022 at 12:09 pm

      Im sorry I. Should have written it like you posted "Boil for about a minute until mixture thickens to the desired thickness." Does it only take a minute of boiling to soften the apples?
      Thanks My apples are ready to peel!!!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 20, 2022 at 6:47 pm

        Robbie, what I meant was that the cornstarch thickens the mixture as it heats and then sets as it cools. So if the mixture gets too thick for your taste, stop boiling and remove from heat or reduce heat to very low and cook until apples soften to your liking.

        Enjoy the recipe! And, Happy Holidays! 🙂

        Reply
      • Deb

        November 30, 2022 at 10:19 am

        Julia, I never know how thin to slice apples!

        Reply
        • Cathy

          December 02, 2022 at 1:23 pm

          This looks really good but I was wondering if I could cut back on the amount of sugar?

          Reply
          • Julia

            December 05, 2022 at 10:30 pm

            Cathy, you can use half the amount of sugar. Or, use a different sweetener that has less calories - it should work great in this simple recipe.

            Reply
        • Julia

          December 06, 2022 at 12:35 am

          Deb, for this recipe, you don't have to slice them thinly. Slices should be on the thicker side so that they don't fall apart too much during cooking.

          Reply
    11. Robbie Ann Crawford

      November 20, 2022 at 12:03 pm

      Julia what do you mean by "boil one minute or until desired thickness"? That doesn't make sense to me. help

      Reply
    12. Tracy

      October 07, 2022 at 8:53 am

      Super simple.....and all of the ingredients are things I had on hand already! Perfect pairing to Apple Cinnamon Cake donuts and hot cocoa on a cold morning for my littles!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 07, 2022 at 12:24 pm

        Tracy, I am so happy you loved this recipe! Thank you for this wonderful feedback and the 5-stars! 🙂

        Reply
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    Julia is the author of JuliasAlbum.com (a food blog focused on easy dinner recipes, pasta dishes, salads made with seasonal ingredients). In this photo, Julia is pictured wearing a yellow sweater against an Autumn background.

    Hi, I'm Julia!

    I am a full-time food blogger living in beautiful Colorado. I focus primarily on savory recipes (protein-based & fiber-rich main dishes, pasta, salads) using fresh & seasonal ingredients. A food blogger since 2012, I help home cooks create well-balanced and visually appealing dinners (many of which are 30-minute ONE-PAN meals). Find out more about me and my cooking philosophy. 

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