French Baked Apples with Honey, Cinnamon and Almonds
Whole apples filled with golden raisins, candied orange, cinnamon and almonds, then baked with honey and a little Calvados. A comforting French dessert, with an optional twist for using cracked or hollow macaron shells.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large apples such as Reinette du Canada, Golden Delicious or Chantecler
- 3 tablespoon flaked almonds or 40g unfilled macaron shells or amaretti biscuits
- 80 g (3oz) golden raisins
- 3 tablespoon honey acacia or flower honey
- 20 g unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoon Calvados or Cognac (or apple juice)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or mixed spice)
- 1 orange, juice only organic (if using the zest)
- 4 strips candied orange peel finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon orange zest)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan).
- Prepare the filling. If using macaron shells, reserve four for the bases and roughly crush the rest. Alternatively, crush the amaretti biscuits or use the flaked almonds. Mix with the raisins, candied orange peel, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of the honey. Pour over the Calvados or Cognac (or apple juice) and leave to soak for 5 minutes.
- Prepare the apples. Wash and core them all the way through. Trim a thin slice from the bottoms if necessary so they stand upright. Arrange in a shallow ovenproof dish. If using macaron shells, place one reserved shell underneath each apple.
- Fill and score. Spoon the fruity mixture into the apple cavities. Using a sharp knife, make a shallow cut through the skin around the upper part of each apple to help prevent uncontrolled splitting during baking.
- Add the juices. Pour the orange juice or water into the dish. Drizzle the apples with the melted butter and the remaining 2 tablespoon honey.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the apples feel tender when pierced with a small knife. Larger or firmer apples may need longer. Serve warm, spooning over the cooking juices.
Notes
Serving: Serve warm with the juices, on their own or with Calvados ice cream, chestnut ice cream, crème fraîche, Greek yogurt or vanilla crème anglaise.
Macaron shells: Use unfilled shells. The 40 g includes the four shells for underneath the apples; crush the remainder for the filling. Cracked or hollow shells work well. See my beginner macaron recipe.
Apples: Choose apples of a similar size and check for tenderness rather than relying only on cooking time.
Without alcohol: Replace the Calvados or Cognac with 2 tablespoon orange juice.
Christmas version: Replace the fruity filling with homemade no-suet mincemeat.
Storage: Cool and refrigerate within two hours; eat within two days. Reheat individual portions until piping hot throughout, once only.
Nutrition
Calories: 332kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 7mgPotassium: 485mgFiber: 7gSugar: 50gVitamin A: 277IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 1mg
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