Spicy Apple Recipes

Baked Apples

Your thoughts may be on warmer days, but while winter is still in full force, it might be a good time to experiment with a couple of apple recipes. Apples make flavorful dessert ingredients, and with the right compliment of spices, they can be a delicious end to a meal.

I have a couple of favorites below. I like making them this time of year. They reheat well the next day with ice cream or melted cheese (an old timey option that's surprisingly good).

Making late winter apple dishes always reminds me of the good old days. About this time of year, the root cellar would be getting bare, and those apples stored in the barn would be wrinkly and probably only good for cooking. If you want to squirrel away a few apples next season, lose the picturesque straw. Wrap each apple in a sheet of newsprint and place the batch in a cool location. These are some varieties that store well: Fuji, Golden Delicious and Braeburn.

Give one of these apple recipes a try before the temperatures warm up. You'll like the blend of spices and love all those scents permeating the kitchen. They make good Sunday dessert fare when the kids are home and the furnace is working overtime.

Enjoy.

Spicy Baked Apple Recipe

Ingredients

4 Granny Smith apples
4 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup apple cider or juice
1/4 cup brown sugar (light)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 inch slice of fresh ginger (or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch allspice powder
1 pinch ground cardamom (if you have it)  http://theherbgardener.blogspot.com/2007/12/cardamom.html
Lemon juice

Directions for Spicy Baked Apples

1. Wash apples and remove tops, cores, seeds and stems.
2. Brush lightly with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan and add the sugar, spices and half the apple cider. Stir until the spices begin to release their aromas (and essential oils), about 60 seconds. Be careful not to burn the butter. (Note: if using fresh ginger, just place it in the saucepan with the rest of the spices and remove it when everything has melted and blended.
4. Pour the other half of the apple cider into a non-metal baking dish and top with the apples (cut side up)
5. Spoon equal amounts of sauce into the well of each apple. (I sometimes also add a few raisins or dried cherries and walnut pieces. I like raisins and nuts but no everyone in the family is keen for them.)
6. Cook in the middle rack of a 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes or until tender.
7. Serve warm with the sauce from the bottom of the pan drizzled back over the apples.

For a more indulgent dessert, place a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream into the depression in the apple and sprinkle a little nutmeg over the top. You can also place a couple of tablespoons of shredded cheddar cheese in the depression and pop the apples back into the oven until the cheese melts (2 to 3 minutes).
Serves 4

Apple Crisp

Spicy Apple Crisp Recipe

 

Ingredients

7 Granny Smith apples (about 6 cups sliced)
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick cook oats
1/2 cup softened butter
1tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger (you can also use ginger syrup or ginger Sherry)
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice powder
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground cardamom (if you have it)

Directions for Spicy Apple Crips

1. Peel, core and thinly slice apples.
2. Butter the bottom and sides of a non-reactive (not metal) baking pan.
3. Spread apples in an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
4. In medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, oats and spices. Cut remaining butter into the mixture until you achieve the consistency of coarsely chopped nuts.
5. Sprinkle the mixture over the over apples.
6. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 45 minutes or until the topping is golden and the apples are tender.

Granny Smith Apples

On special occasions, add a scoop of ice cream and drizzle caramel sauce over the top.

These are Granny Smith apples.  They're good for all types of baking projects.




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1 - By Brücke-Osteuropa (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

2 - By Pattie (Apple Crisp) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

3 - By Nicole-Koehler (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3