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Easy to make southern fried apples are tart and sweet with a gentle cinnamon, nutmeg spiced syrup. This classic dessert recipe comes together in minutes in one skillet to create tender, apples swimming in buttery-cinnamon syrup. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate comforting Fall dessert.
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Southern fried apples are a quick and easy dessert recipe perfect for enjoying the abundance of apples during the Fall season. This dish is particularly popular in the south with many people having a fondness for the fried apples served at the Cracker Barrel restaurants.
Just like our baked apples, and apple crisp this dessert captures the best of Fall flavors.
Thick sliced apples are cooked in a cinnamon spiced butter mixture until they are soft and sweet. While the butter cooks with the apples, it reduces down into a syrup like mixture thanks to the natural pectin released from the apples.
Ingredients In Fried Apples
- Granny Smith Apples: use two pounds of apples, our preference is Granny Smith apples, but you can use Pink Lady or Fuji apples. When cooking apples it’s important to pick a variety that holds its texture and doesn’t become overly soft.
- Butter: melted down this helps create the syrup. Use unsalted to control the amount of salt in your recipe, or substitute with a salted version and omit the salt in the recipe.
- Light Brown Sugar: adds sweetness to balance the tart flavor of the apples and also a hint of molasses flavoring.
- Cinnamon: adds spice and flavoring to the apples and the syrup. Substitute with apple pie spice if desired.
- Ground Nutmeg: rounds out the flavoring. Substitute with ground ginger if you want a little bite to the dessert.
- Salt: use a fine ground sea salt. If you are using salted butter this can be omitted.
How to Make Southern Fried Apples
Frying apples is a quick and easy recipe and something that can be done in less than 30 minutes. As the apples cook the sauce will reduce and become a thick, cinnamon syrup that will be perfect for drizzling over the top of the apples when served.
- Prep the apples by peeling, coring and slicing. In a medium size skillet melt the butter and add the sugar and spices. Stir to combine.
How to Slice Apples for Frying
Slice the apples about 1/3-1/2 inch thick. If the slices are too thin as they cook they’ll break down too much and lose texture. Slicing the apples to the same width helps them to cook evenly, and the thickness ensures that they keep some bite to them even when softened.
- Add the apples to the skillet with the cinnamon butter mixture.
- Stir to coat the apples in the cinnamon butte mixture and let cook over medium low heat for approximately 15 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- The apples are done cooking when they are softened and the sauce has reduced down slightly making it syrup like.
What are the Best Kinds of Apples To Fry?
Granny Smith is the best option for frying thanks to their tart flavor and ability to retain shape without becoming mushy during cooking.
Should You Peel Apples Before Frying?
The skin of the apple softens while cooking, and is easy to bite through which means that it is personal preference if you decide to peel the apples or not. This recipe calls for the apples to be peeled, but if you would prefer to have them on to save time or because you would rather keep the peel, the apples will still cook perfectly.
Storage & Freezing Information
- Make Ahead: if prepping the apples ahead of time, toss with a small amount of lemon juice to prevent browning before they are cooked.
- Storage: store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: allow cooked apples to cool completely, then store in a sealed freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw by removing to the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating: place apples in a skillet and heat over medium heat until warmed through.
More Fall Dessert Recipes
Southern Fried Apples
Ingredients
- 2 pounds apples Granny Smith
- 6 tablespoons butter unsalted
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Prep the apples by peeling, coring and slicing. Slice apples to 1/3 -1/2 inch thick.
- Melt butter into a medium size skillet
- Stir in the sugar and spices.
- Add the apples to the skillet and stir to coat in the sugar mixture.
- Let cook 15 minutes, while stirring occasionally until the apples are softened.
- Serve apples with vanilla ice cream and spoon the remaining sauce over top.
Notes
- Make Ahead: if prepping the apples ahead of time, toss with a small amount of lemon juice to prevent browning before they are cooked.
- Storage: store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: allow cooked apples to cool completely, then store in a sealed freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw by removing to the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating: place apples in a skillet and heat over medium heat until warmed through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by the talented KJandCompany.co
