Spiced Poached Apples
Cider poached apples are a tasty & warming snack or dessert. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream for a special comfort food.
Ingredients
- 4 full-sized apples or equivalent in small apples
Syrup:
- 2 cups apple cider
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 1 by 3-inch strip orange zest
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ t ground cardamom
- 2 cloves
Optional Filling & Topping
- your choice of raisins, brown sugar, butter, candied ginger if you core and stuff
- ice cream, whipped cream optional for serving
Instructions
- Prepare your apples according to your chosen method, either halve and core, peel halfway or fully, or core and stuff with dried fruit and brown sugar (see notes).
- Mix your syrup ingredients in a small saucepan. Ideally use a small saucepan that will just fit your prepared apples. Bring the syrup ingredients to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the prepared apples to the pan and simmer for 15-30 minutes until tender and flavorful. If there are parts of the apples that are above the syrup level, turn them periodically so all parts of the apples can absorb syrup.
- When apples are tender and infused with syrup, remove them to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Remove any whole spices from the syrup with a slotted spoon, then boil on medium high until the syrup is reduced, about 10 minutes.
- Serve the apples with the syrup and optionally ice cream and/or whipped cream.
Notes
Depending on your preference and the apples you have available, I have three preparation options for you.
Halved apples (quartered or in eights for large apples). Here I halved the minis then used a small measuring spoon to remove the core. Larger apples could be quartered or cut in eighths. No peeling needed and super easy!
Classic Peeled Fruit. Peel the apple either halfway or fully (like a classic poached pear). The exposed apple flesh absorbs the syrup better where it is peeled, though I like the health value and visual appeal of keeping some of the peel.
Cored and Stuffed Apples. Here the apple is cored, usually with an apple corer, though I used a knife (which was difficult and not recommended), then stuffed with your choice of ingredients. I used candied ginger, raisins, brown sugar, and butter. Then I poached it just like the other apples, but was careful turning to keep the filling intact.
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You can also bake a large quantity of apples. Core 12-16 medium apples, then set in a 9 x 13 pan. Mix up a double batch of the poaching ingredients and pour over. Cover the pan with heavy duty aluminum foil and bake at 350 F until tender, about an hour.
Nutrition
Calories: 230kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.04gSodium: 8mgPotassium: 395mgFiber: 5gSugar: 50gVitamin A: 164IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg
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