Easy Cinnamon Apples

Warm cinnamon apples are easy to make topping for breakfast waffles or pancakes, topping for pork chops or fried chicken, or serve as dessert with ice cream! It’s a dish that is perfect celebration of FALL!

Jump to:

• What you’ll love about this recipe
• Ingredients
• How to make it
• What’s the best apple to use?
• To peel or not to peel skin?
• How to serve it?
• Variations
• Expert tips
• Common questions
• 📋Easy Cinnamon Apples

What you’ll love about this recipe

• The perfect celebration of FALL! Crisp fresh apples are fried in butter and brown sugar with warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. It’s warming, comforting, and utterly delicious!
• It tastes like APPLE PIE without the crumb!
• The perfect way to use fresh crisp apples that are best in quality.
• You’ll need basic pantry ingredients.
• Very easy to make. The dish comes together in under 15 minutes.
• Warm, cozy, comforting, and satisfying dessert to enjoy on a chilly day.
• Use it as topping on ANYTHING! From breakfast waffles/pancakes, sides for crispy fried chicken, top it over pork chops, and serve as dessert with ice cream.
• It’s very versatile. You can swap with your favorite variety of apples. This recipe works for any fresh crisp apples which have a nice sweet and tart flavor. Granny Smith, honey crisp, and Fuji red apples are the best choices.
• It’s completely up to you want spices you want to use and how much of it. Use cinnamon powder alone if you do not want to add nutmeg and ginger powder.
• Easy to adapt this recipe to make baked cinnamon apples instead of cooking on a stove top. You can choose to cook in the microwave too.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need –

• Butter
• Apples
• Light brown sugar
• Cinnamon powder
• Ground ginger
• Nutmeg
• Lemon juice
• Salt
• Corn starch
• Water

All the ingredients’ exact measurements are mentioned in the recipe card below.

• Apples – use fresh crisp apples that have sweet and tart flavors to them. Granny Smith, Honey Crispy, Fuji, Pink Lady, Gala, and Jazz are the best choices.
• Lemon Juice – As soon as apples are chopped add lemon juice to prevent it from browning. Along with lemon juice, I always add a generous pinch of salt.
• Brown Sugar – Use light brown sugar. A mix of cane sugar and brown sugar can be used too.
• Spices – I love a mix of cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, and ginger powder. It adds warm flavors to the dish. Stick to just cinnamon powder if you don’t have or don’t want to use other spices.
• Thickening Agent (optional) – towards the end add corn starch mixed in 3 tablespoon water. Cook for 2 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly. This step is optional.
• Butter –fry apples in butter for a richer taste. For vegan options use coconut oil.

Additional Ingredients(optional):

• Vanilla Extract – stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the recipe for added flavors.
• Maple Syrup – you can add maple syrup or honey too for more flavors.
• Brandy – add a good 3 to 4 tablespoons of brandy at the end while cooking. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. A great topper for ADULT DISH.

How to make it

Wash apples well, pat dry with a kitchen towel.

It’s a personal choice to peel the skin or leave the skin on. If you are feeding kids, it’s best to peel the skin and chop it into smaller pieces to make it easy for them to eat.

How to prep apples

Using apple slicer:-

I prefer to remove the skin off apples always. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin off apples.

Push down the apple slicer holding it firm in the middle to core and slice apples into 8 even slices.

Using apple corer:-

If you do not have an apple slicer, core the apple using apple corer.

Use an apple corer with little muscle to push it down in the center of the apple straightway down through it to remove the center core.

Peel the skin using a vegetable peeler. You can choose to leave the skin on.

Cut apple into half.

Cut each half lengthwise in the middle to make 4 quarters.

Cut even slices.

Note: don’t cut apples too thin, or they will break. I’d like to make 8 thick slices from each apple. If you want to cut into cubes, make 1 inch cubes.

Using knife:-

If you choose to peel the skin off, peel using a vegetable peeler.

Cut the apple into half from stem to bottom end.

Turn the half flat side down and cut into half again.

Using a pairing knife, make an angled incision at the center from one side. Turn the apple and make a similar angled incision on the other side to make a ‘v’ cut and release the core.

Cut each quarter into half once again to make 8 slices in total.

Note – if you don’t work fast in peeling and coring, the apple will begin to brown from the cut side. To prevent browning, rub the apple with a cut lemon.

Cook apples on stove top

Add lemon juice to apple slices and toss well to coat. This will prevent apples from browning. This is an optional step.

I prefer to add a generous pinch of salt along with lemon juice to prevent apples from browning while it sits until ready to be added to the skillet to cook.

Melt butter in skillet. Add apple slices to the pan.

Add the rest of the ingredients – brown sugar, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, ginger powder.

Allow apple slices to cook for a minute.

Cover with a lid and simmer on medium-low heat for about 4 minutes.

Remove the lid and toss well.

Adding cornstarch is optional. Arrowroot powder can also be used in place of corn starch for thickening.

Mix corn starch in 1 tablespoon water making sure no lumps are left. Pour it over sautéed apples.  Alternatively, directly sprinkle corn starch over the apples.

Stir and cook for 2 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.

Remove from heat.

Note: at this stage, you can add flavors to your dish like vanilla extract or maple syrup.

Serve immediately.

What’s the best apple to use?

Any apple that is crisp and has wonderful sweet and tart flavors can be used for an apple cinnamon recipe.

Choose any of these apples –

• Granny Smith
• Honey Crispy
• Fuji Red
• Pink Lady
• Gala
• Jazz
• Braeburn
• Golden Delicious
• Cortland

To peel or not to peel skin?

There is no right or wrong way to do it. It’s a personal choice to choose to peel the skin off the apples or to leave it as it is.

Just remember if you are feeding this to little kids it’s best to peel the skin off and to dice apples into small cubes to make it easy for kids to eat. This cinnamon apple with skin will be slightly tougher to eat for kids.

I prefer to remove the skin.

How to serve it?

Cinnamon apples can be served in many ways. Serve it as a topping for waffles/pancakes. Top it over pork chop for dinner or serve alongside crispy fried chicken. Serve it as it is for a mid-meal snack. Serve it topped with ice cream or whipped cream as dessert.

Variations

Vanilla extract – stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the recipe for added flavors.

Maple syrup – you can add maple syrup or honey too for more flavors.

Brandy – the combination of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and brandy is deadly. It’s a great ADULT garnish for any dish. Add good 3 to 4 tablespoons brandy at the end while cooking. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. That’s it! A great topper for ADULT DISH is ready.

Expert tips

1. Do NOT cut apples too thin, or they will break. Cut thick slices or cubes and make sure all are equal-sized so they cook evenly. If cutting into slices, consider making 8 equal-sized slices from each apple.
2. Do not stir too much or they will break.
3. Do not overcook apples. You don’t want mushy apples. Cinnamon apples should be softened slightly with a crunch to them but not soggy and mushy. Cooking time for apples will vary depending on how large your apples are cut.
4. Adding a thickening agent is completely optional. Add corn starch or arrowroot powder as thickening agents. This recipe calls for mixing cornstarch with water before adding to the apples. Alternatively, you can just sprinkle starch directly over the pan.
5. For adult-only servings, consider adding brandy to the recipe in the end. The combination of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and brandy is deadly.

Common questions

OTHER APPLE RECIPES:

• Apple pancakes
• Apple pie enchiladas
• Apple snickers salad
• Apple dump cake
• Apple fritters
• Cranberry apple slaw
• Instant pot apple cider
• Apple nachos with peanut butter and chocolate

MORE FALL RECIPES:

• Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
• Pumpkin spice latte
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Instant pot butternut squash soup
• Instant pot chicken noodle soup
• Roasted butternut squash

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