Are you up to trying the sweetest apples ever? Literally, these stewed apples are soaked in syrup, very soft, and almost sticky. And topped with a refreshing Greek yogurt whipped cream. Plus walnuts and ground cinnamon.
What do they taste like? Think of them as sweet as an apple jam. One that's flavored with cinnamon plus lemon geranium (if you can find any). And either grape molasses or pomegranate molasses. And a really refreshing yogurt whipped cream on top that's almost unsweetened so it balances the sweetness of the apples.
This is certainly a dessert I make around the holidays. I think it's great to serve after a holiday dinner. Serving winter fruit cooked with warm flavors like cinnamon really adds to the wintry holiday spirit. Plus, indulging oneself in that much sugar makes you feel it's a special occasion, doesn't it?
In Greece, this is actually a spoon sweet. If you want to know what spoon sweets are, you can find all about them here. So since it's a spoon sweet, it means you can actually store it in jars. And therefore, preserve these sweet apples for a long time. To do this you need to properly sterilize the jars first. Second, you need jars that fit the apples. Unless you cut them into smaller pieces.
For this recipe, I am cutting the apples in half so you can serve each half topped with the yogurt whipped cream. But if you are planning on preserving them you may need to cut them into smaller pieces so they fit inside the jars and get submerged under the syrup.
You can use an immersion blender and blend leftover apples together with syrup. Turning them into a jam. That you can use it to make desserts like tarts and pies or even in savory dishes (served over roasts for example).
What Apple Variety To Use
You can use almost any type of apple for this recipe. But Gala and Red Delicious are used mostly. You can also use Golden delicious or even Granny smiths if you want to take the sweetness down a notch.
SERVE WITH 🠯
In this recipe, these syrup-stewed apples are topped with yogurt whipped cream which for me is the best combination for them. But another great topping would be (as I'm sure you've guessed already) vanilla ice cream. These apples are also a great topping to a plain vanilla cake like a sponge cake for example.
Stewed Apples In Syrup With Yogurt Whipped Cream
Ingredients
For The Stewed Apples:
- 4 large apples (about 1 kg / 2.2 pound) Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, or Granny Smiths for less sweet
- ½ lemon juiced
- 500 grams / 17.6 oz sugar
- 300 grams / 10.5 oz water
- 1,5 tablespoon Grape or Pomegranate molasses see how to make your own here
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Optional: 3-4 leaves of lemon geranium
For Yogurt Whipped Cream:
- 200 grams / 7 oz heavy cream
- 180 grams / 6.3 oz strained Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons icing sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder or vanilla extract
To Serve With:
- chopped walnuts
- ground cinnamon
Instructions
For The Stewed Apples:
- Half-fill a large mixing bowl with cold water and add the ½ juiced lemon to it. Peel an apple and cut it in half. Remove the core creating a small well in the center. Add it to the bowl with the water so it won't darken while you prepare the next one.
- Once you have prepared all the apples make the syrup.
- Add the sugar and water to a wide cooking pot one that fits the apples. Add the cinnamon stick in as well.
- Bring to a boil and once it starts to bubble drop the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Take the pot off the heat. Remove the apples from the bowl of water and strain them. Add them carefully one by one into the pot with the hot syrup.
- Bring the pot back on the heat and cook the apples over medium heat for 35-40 minutes. Flipping them meanwhile, once or twice carefully using two forks. The pot should be partly covered with the lid.
- Take the pot off the heat and let the apples reach room temperature. Leave the lid open on the side for the moisture to be able to escape. Once the apples have reached room temperature cover the pot with the lid and leave it like this overnight.
- The next day, bring the pot back on the heat and add the grape molasses (or pomegranate molasses) as well as the lemon geranium (if using). Simmer over medium heat uncovered for 5-7 minutes until the syrup gets really thick. 1 minute before you take the pot off the heat add the lemon juice to it and shake the pot a bit to incorporate. Do not stir, so you won't break the apples. If needed gently flip them with two forks again.
- Remove from the heat. At this point, you can store the apples in a sterilized jar if you wish to preserve them.
- Otherwise, let them cool down to room temperature. Then transfer to serving bowl or bowls cover with plastic wrap and place them in the fridge to cool and get firm.
For The Yogurt Whipped Cream:
- Add all of the ingredients for the Yogurt Whipped Cream to a large bowl (or your electric mixer's bowl). With the whisk attachment on beat over high speed for about 5 minutes until thickened and creamy. It won't get too thick because of the yogurt.
Serve:
- Serve the apples cold with spoonfuls of the yogurt whipped cream on top. And then sprinkle some chopped walnuts and ground cinnamon on top as well.
- The apples will keep in the fridge for up to one week. Unless they are kept in a sterilized jar submerged under the syrup. This way they will keep for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
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