If baked apples with cinnamon are an easy and delicious dessert, this slightly more elaborate version I’m bringing you today is almost excellent. If you want to impress your guests, with these oven-baked apples stuffed with spiced compote and crunchy crumble you’ll win them over with a loud round of applause as soon as they taste them.
The change apples undergo when baked seems fascinating to me. Their flavor is transformed by the heat, concentrating their natural sugars and caramelizing slightly. If they are a slightly tart variety, that tartness softens and they become more aromatic, with notes of honey and caramel appearing. As for the flesh, as it breaks down, the pectins become more tender and creamy in texture.
Also, when baked, apples absorb other flavors better, and this is precisely what stands out in the result. These oven-baked apples stuffed with spiced compote and crunchy crumble taste of cinnamon, vanilla, anise, and caramel, and the crunchy texture of the crumble makes every bite a delight. If, like me, you’re fans of baked apples, you can’t miss trying them.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the spiced compote
- The flesh of 5 apples (reineta variety)
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 star anise
- 20 g dried cranberries
- 25 g brown sugar
Ingredients for the crumble
- 50 g butter
- 50 g brown sugar
- 75 g flour
Ingredients for the final assembly
- 5 cored apples (reineta variety)
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 star anise
- 250 ml apple juice
- 50 g butter
Preparation
- First, cut off the tops of the apples (the top part) and set aside.
- Core the apples with a apple corer and scoop out some of the flesh with a spoon, without reaching the skin so they don’t break. Set the cored apples aside.
Preparing the spiced compote
- Cut the flesh into not-too-small cubes and place it in the Affinity stainless steel saucepan along with the sugar, the half star anise, the split half vanilla bean, and the half cinnamon stick.
- Put the saucepan over low heat and add a couple of tablespoons of hot water. Cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After 15 minutes, add the cranberries, stir, and cook for a few minutes. If there is excess liquid, turn up the heat to evaporate it.
Preparing the crumble
- Cut the butter into small cubes and add the flour and sugar.
- Mix with your fingertips until you have a sandy, crumbly texture. Set aside at room temperature.
Preparing the stuffed apples and final assembly
- Preheat the oven to 200º C.
- Fill the apples with the spiced compote and cover them with the tops you cut off at the beginning.
- In the De Buyer Affinity Shallow Casserole, add the apple juice along with the opened vanilla pod, half a cinnamon stick, and half a star anise.
- Place the cored apples in the Shallow Casserole Affinity De Buyer and sprinkle the crumble on top.
- Place a little butter on each apple and put the Shallow Casserole in the oven.
- Bake at 190 °C for 30-35 minutes.
- When they are ready, remove the Shallow Casserole from the oven and let it cool slightly on a wire rack.
- Serve the apples warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a little whipped cream.
Tips
- When making the compote, you can use panela, coconut sugar, or honey instead of brown sugar.
- If it’s more convenient or you prefer it, you can replace the vanilla bean with vanilla essence or extract.
- The flour we use for the crumble is regular all-purpose wheat flour. But you could use whichever you prefer, or even any nut flour (with almond or walnut the result is fantastic). And if you can’t decide, you can always combine both options (part wheat or oat flour, for example, and part nut flour).
