BROWN SUGAR FRIED APPLES

Fried Apples with Brown Sugar

Easy fried apples are made with basic ingredients, just like they serve at Cracker Barrel! Sweet apples recipe is great served with pork chops or alongside roasted chicken. You can even drizzle them with caramel and serve with Pralines & Cream Ice Cream. I also love them with oatmeal or on top of warm buttermilk biscuits for breakfast. Any way you eat them, sautéed apples are always a great idea!

Ingredients for Brown Sugar Fried Apples

Tangy Apples: You need 5 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, this will produce about 6 cups. You are welcome to use a different type of tart apple, my other favorites are Honey Crisp apples, Pink Lady or Fuji. Try to use a firm apple and avoid softer apples like Red Delicious, the softer apples don’t have a great texture after being fried.

Lemon: Use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, fresh is preferred, but you can use a store-bought option.

Butter: We use ½ cup salted butter (although you can use unsalted butter if you prefer)

Brown Sugar: Measure out ½ cup light brown sugar for this recipe. I’m always a fan of using what you have on hand too! Although do try to use brown sugar as opposed to white sugar as it adds delicious flavor.

Cinnamon: Add in 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon for an amazing warm spiced flavor. 

Cornstarch or Flour: You will need 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour or cornstarch, this acts as a thickening agent for the sticky glaze that is created when heating apples.

How to Fry Cinnamon Apples

Prep

Begin by peeling, core, and slice the apples. Then, place the sliced apples into a medium bowl and squeeze a bit of the lemon juice over the apple slices to prevent them from browning.

 

Frying

In a large saucepan or cast iron pan, melt the butter over medium heat.

After the butter is melted, pour the apple slices to the pan. Proceed to sauté over medium high heat until the apples begin to soften (about 5 minutes). You will notice a slight change in color from crisp white/green to a creamy white/yellow.

Then, add in the sugar and cinnamon into the apple mixture. Feel free to add a dash of nutmeg if you’d like! Continue cooking the apples until the sugar dissolves into the butter and it forms a sauce.

Next, sprinkle the flour or cornstarch over the apples and stir to combine, continue cooking over low heat until the sauce thickens. If you would like more sauce, stir in ¼-½ cup of water and continue cooking to thicken the additional sauce.

Alternately, you can create a cornstarch slurry instead by stirring together 1 TBSP cornstarch with 3 TBSP cold water. Stir into the apples; sauce will thicken as it heats.

Served immediately and enjoy! 

When are Apples in Season?

Apples are a Fall crop, so plan on the best apples being ripe in late August or early September through early November. Of course, it depends on where you live and the climate in your area. I love making apple recipes in October, when I get an abundance of apples from a local orchard.