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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.
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:
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.
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 cooked apples recipe
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 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.
I love cooked spiced apples - they are very good on anything from toast to crepes especially for brunch!
Just lovely, m'lady! We love sautéd apples over our buttermilk or pumpkin pancakes and waffles...even over oatmeal. Such a special weekend treat and a great way to use up apples. Thanks for sharing!
Mmmm I totally agree - cooked apples are delicious! I've added some to my yogurt (cooled of course) with a little granola - so good!
I have a lot of apples to make this. Especially granny smith! My kids really love granny smith so we have a lot...but they stopped eating and now I have too many! This sounds like a great recipe to use them. <3
I'm making the apples now and am a little confused by the water measurements. They are different from the ingredient list to the cooking instructions?
Thanks for noticing, yes my cooking instructions were off from the ingredient list. I just corrected them. I am using a total of 2/3 cups of water in this recipe, and originally I was using 3/4 cups of water, thus the difference. Both measurements will work fine. but the recipe is corrected now, and the ingredient list and cooking instructions are now consistent.
Mine were a little watery at first but I added a little more cornstarch and cooked a bit longer! All was good and not an apple left in the pan! My non eating oatmeal son ate two bowls with these apples on top!! Win!!
So glad you liked it! 🙂
These look amazing! My grandma used to make me apples like this! Yum! I just bought some organic gala apples that aren't that crisp so I think this would be a perfect way to use them up. I'm going to surprise my kids with these apples on their oatmeal this morning!
Oh, this recipe is perfect with non-crisp apples! In these photos I've used some old apples I've had for quite some time and they were getting soft. This recipe was perfect for them!
I love apples cooked this way. It's dessert without the guilt.
Cooked apples like this are such a great dish! They make a nice, quick dessert. Or we've even been known to prepare them for breakfast! They also make a great pancake topping. Good stuff - thanks.
I love simple dishes like this that have a zillion ways to use them. Apples with butter, cinnamon and sugar is a match made in heaven. I can almost smell the wonderful aroma of them happily cooking on your stovetop. 🙂
These apples look so delicious Julia! I would love some on top of oatmeal!
Oh yes, I craved a break from the kitchen after Thanksgiving. A short day trip to the ocean was so much better than spending the weekend shopping for the holidays! Simple recipes are often the best, they allow the flavors of the ingredients to shine. The Cooked Apples are an enticing example!
I am making crepes on Friday for my daughters bday and these would be the perfect accompaniment! These apples look lovely!
Yumm! What amazing photos - I swear I can smell these apples!
I absolutely LOVE these apples!! My Bear loves cooked apples and I make them as often as possible. 🙂 Now I'm craving them spooned over oatmeal for breakfast. 🙂
This is so so delicious, Julia. Great as a dessert or a filling for pastries or buns.