These soft, warmly spiced stewed apples are perfect for topping pancakes, oatmeal, vanilla ice cream, and so much more! Spruce up your breakfast or dessert with delicious caramelized apples!
I have caramelized an apple so many times for the purpose of topping Oatmeal Protein Pancakes, Protein Waffles, and Vanilla Ice Cream, that it didn’t dawn on me until recently that there might be a need for a dedicated recipe.
So here I am, sharing with you my own personal way of caramelizing apples, using pure maple syrup for the sweetener instead of sugar.
The whole process takes less than 20 minutes, and we’re left with perfectly sweet and soft apples that add a drool-worthy element to everything they touch! I love the idea of using it for apple pie filling to enhance the flavor and texture of your classic apple pie.
Fancy buttering your biscuit with some extra flair? Lean into this easy recipe to do the trick!
Let’s discuss the basic ingredients for stewed apples.
Ingredients for Stewed Apples:
Fresh Apples: Pick your favorite kind of apples! I recommend using sweet apples that remain firm during the cooking process. Honey crisp apples, envy apples, pink lady, and Fuji apples are all great. Tart apples such as granny smith apples (green apples) work great too, but you may consider adding a couple tablespoons of brown sugar to offset the sour flavor.
Apple Cider or Water: We need some form of liquid to cook the apples so that they soften to perfection. I like using apple cider, but apple juice or water work too.
Pure Maple Syrup: For sweetening the caramelized apples to your personal taste.
Ground Cinnamon: This ingredient really makes the apples pop, because it brings warm flavor to the mix. You can also use pumpkin spice or apple pie spice for a warmly spiced flavor.
Sea Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the flavors.
Recipe Customizations:
- Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of salted butter at the end of cooking for a buttery deliciousness.
- Add a couple teaspoons of lemon juice to add a twist of sour flavor to offset the sweetness.
- Stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract at the end of cooking.
- Swap the pure maple syrup for white sugar or brown sugar.
How to Make Stewed Apples:
Peel, core, and chop the apple into slices, and add the apple slices to a small saucepan. Add in the apple cider, pure maple syrup, ground cinnamon and sea salt and stir well. Cover the saucepan with a lid, and bring the mixture to a full boil.
Reduce the heat to low heat or medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to soften, but are still al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the flour and cook for another 2 to 5 minutes, until the sauce surrounding the apples has thickened to your personal taste.
Use stewed apples for topping pancakes, ice cream, creamy oatmeal, cake, waffles, chia pudding, etc., and enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe Tips:
- The cooking time varies depending on how soft or firm you like your apples. For al dente apples, cook 5-8 minutes, and for soft cooked apples, cook 10-15 minutes.
- If at any point, the liquid evaporates, add a little additional apple cider so that the apples are saucy.
Looking for ways you can apply these beauties? Here are some of my recipes that would benefit from the addition of some apple cinnamon essence.
Ways to Use Caramelized Apples:
- Sweet Potato Rolled Oat Protein Pancakes
- Pumpkin Waffles
- Protein Apple Pancakes
- Dairy-Free Vanilla Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal Muffins
And that’s it! The next time you’re looking to enhance any breakfast food or dessert, enjoy yourself some easy stewed apples!
Stewed Apples
Ingredients
- 2 large apples peeled and sliced*
- ½ cup apple cider apple juice, or water
- 2 to 6 Tbsp pure maple syrup to taste
- 1 to 3 tsp ground cinnamon to taste
- Pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour cornstarch or gluten-free all-purpose flour**
Instructions
- Peel, core, and chop the apple into slices, and add the apple slices to a small saucepan. Add in the apple cider, pure maple syrup, ground cinnamon and sea salt and stir well. Cover the saucepan with a lid, and bring the mixture to a full boil. Reduce the heat to low heat or medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to soften, but are still al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and cook for another 2 to 5 minutes, until the sauce surrounding the apples has thickened to your personal taste.
- Use stewed apples for topping pancakes, ice cream, creamy oatmeal, cake, waffles, chia pudding, etc., and enjoy!
Can these be frozen or canned so you can make a big batch?
Hi Kelly! I have very little experience with canning, so I’m not sure how they would work out when canned. I’m betting it can be done with success as long as you follow all the normal steps for sanitizing the jars. You can also freeze the apples for up to 2 months in a freezer bag or a freezer-safe container. Happy cooking!
Thank you.
My pleasure!