Baked apples
From the orchard to the oven, here are 3 delicious ways to enjoy autumn's bounty
Brown sugar apple pandowdy
An apple pandowdy is everything you love about apple pie but with much less work. In this recipe, we top brown sugar-sweetened apples with a buttery pie crust and bake until golden and flaky. Once the pandowdy comes out of the oven, you take a spoon and break the crust so that the syrupy juices seep up from underneath. The result will look messy, but the syrupcovered crust serves as a sweet, crisp contrast to the tender apple filling beneath.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
■ Cooking spray
■ 1 homemade or store-bought pie crust, thawed if frozen
■ 1 large egg yolk
■ 1 tablespoon water
■ ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
■ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
■ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
■ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
■ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
■ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
■ 2 to 2 ½ pounds sweet-tart apples, such as Gala, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp (about 4 large or 6 medium)
■ 1 medium lemon
■ 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Directions
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400 F. Coat an 8-by-8-inch, 9-by-9-inch, or other 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Place pie dough on a sheet of parchment paper and roll out to a 10-inch round. Slide the parchment onto a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
Place egg yolk and water in a small bowl and whisk with a fork until combined.
Place brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine, breaking up any clumps of sugar.
Peel apples. Halve and core the apples, then cut into ¼-inch-thick slices. Add to the bowl of spiced sugar. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the bowl (about 2 tablespoons). Toss to combine, making sure there are no clumps of sugar or cornstarch left in the bottom of the bowl. Transfer to the baking dish and spread into an even layer.
Place the pie crust over the apples, folding the excess pie dough around the edge under itself. Cut six 1-inch slits in the center of the crust. Brush the crust with a thin layer of the egg wash. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the baking dish and continue to bake until the pandowdy is fragrant, the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes more.
Place the baking dish on a wire rack. Press the crust down into the syrupy juices with the back of a large spoon in 5 to 6 spots, letting the juices coat the edges of the broken pie crust. Once cool, they will be sticky and lacquered, but remain crisp and flaky. Let cool until just barely warm before serving, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not serve hot.
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to five days. The crust will soften upon refrigeration.
— Patty Catalano, TheKitchn.com
Mini apple tarts
Small but mighty, these mini apple tarts are packed with cozy fall flavors. Enjoy one or two warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce or as is. Any way you serve these up, these little treats are the perfect way to end any meal.
Servings: 18
For the tart shells
■ ½ recipe flaky pie dough, chilled, or 1 store-bought pie crust, thawed if frozen
■ All-purpose flour, for dusting
For the apple pie filling
■ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
■ ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
■ 1 ½ teaspoons apple pie spice (see substitution note)
■ ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
■ 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
■ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
■ 1 pinch kosher salt
■ 2 ¾ cups peeled and finely diced firm, sweet-tart apples, such as Pink Lady (2 medium apples)
■ 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Form the tart shells
Lightly dust a work surface with all-purpose flour. Place pie dough on the work surface and roll out until about ¹⁄8-inch thick. Cut out 12 rounds with a 3-inch round cookie cutter. Gather the scraps together, shape into a ball and refrigerate.
Press each round into a well of a mini muffin tin, pressing in the center and working your way up the sides to form a crust in each one. The dough should hang slightly over the edge.'
Re-roll the remaining dough. Cut out six more rounds (discard any remaining dough) and line six more mini muffin wells. Refrigerate while you make the apple filling.
Make the apple pie filling
Heat the oven to 375 F.
Melt unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, apple pie spice, lemon juice, vanilla, salt and ¼ cup of the water. Cook, stirring continuously, until the brown sugar is dissolved, about 30 seconds.
Stir in the diced apples. Cook, stirring frequently, until the apples are slightly softened but still have a slight bite to them, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl until the cornstarch is suspended.
Give the cornstarch mixture another whisk, then pour into the apple mixture. Cook, stirring often, until the filling is glossy and thickened, about 1 minute more.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Let cool until just warm to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes.
Assemble and bake
Divide the apple filling between the tart shells (about 1 heaping tablespoon per shell).
Bake, rotating the mini muffin tin(s) halfway through, until the crust is a deep golden brown and the apple filling is bubbly, about 25 minutes total.
Let the apple tarts cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer the tarts to a wire rack. Serve warm or let cool completely.
Storage: Leftover apple tarts can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days. Rewarm in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.
Substitution: You can substitute 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg or allspice for the apple pie spice.
— Shannon Feulner, TheKitchn.com
Apple fritter bread
Between the layer of cinnamon apples rippled through tender quick bread and the crispy cinnamon sugar and glaze drizzled over the jagged layer of apples blanketing the top, this bread has serious apple fritter vibes and all the flavors you'd expect from the classic donut. Best of all: no frying necessary.
Yield: Makes 1 (9-inch) loaf, or 8 to 10 servings
For the bread
■ Cooking spray
■ 3 large eggs, at room temperature
■ ¹⁄³ cup full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
■ ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
■ 3 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
■ 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
■ 1 ½ pounds sweet-tart apples (such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady), peeled, cored and diced (about 4 cups)
■ ¼ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
■ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
■ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
■ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
■ ¼ cup neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
■ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
■ ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the apples
For the glaze
■ ½ cup powdered sugar
■ 1 tablespoon milk or apple cider, plus more as needed
Make the bread
Heat the oven to 350 F. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom and two long sides of the pan with a parchment paper sling, making sure it hangs over the sides by a few inches. Whisk 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of the ground cinnamon together in a small bowl; reserve for topping.
Melt unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl.
Add peeled and diced apples, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of the ground cinnamon and 1 pinch kosher salt to the now-empty skillet (do not wipe out). Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples start to soften and the sugar is dissolved and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and the remaining 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Whisk oil, vanilla, the remaining ¾ cup granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon kosher salt into the melted butter until combined.
Whisk in eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in sour cream until combined and no streaks of it remain. Fold in the flour mixture until just combined.
Transfer half of the batter into the loaf pan (about 1 ½ cups) and spread into an even layer, going all the way to the edges. Top with half of the apple mixture (about 2 cups) and press it lightly into the batter. Dollop the remaining batter over the apples and spread to the edges, covering the apples completely. Scatter the remaining apple mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top.
Bake until the bread is puffed, deeply browned, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes. Place on a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the bread to loosen. Grasping the excess parchment, lift the loaf out of the pan and place on the rack. Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
Make the glaze
Whisk powdered sugar and milk or apple cider together in a small bowl until smooth. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, whisk in more milk or apple cider a few drops at a time as needed. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the cake and let sit until set, about 15 minutes.
Storage: The bread will keep well for up to three days in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 1 week if refrigerated, or up to three months if frozen. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
— Kelli Foster, TheKitchn.com
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