Bratäpfel (German baked apples) and vanilla sauce recipe
Stuffed with marzipan, walnuts, raisins and homemade jam, this German style baked apples recipe is a longtime family favorite. The tender, juicy and perfectly cooked apples are served warm out of the oven with a creamy vanilla sauce that's made from scratch.
Servings: 4 Servings
Ingredients
For the baked apples
- 4 red apples or golden delicious firm
- 100 g g (3.5 oz) marzipan
- a handful raisins
- a handful walnuts
- 2 tablespoons jam SEE NOTES
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
For the German vanilla sauce
- 200 ml (about 6.8 fl.oz/ ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon) milk
- 100 ml (about 3.4 fl.oz / ½ cup – 1 tablespoon) heavy cream (whipping cream)
- ½ tablespoon corn flour (cornstarch)
- 1 ½ tablespoon vanilla sugar
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F), with both top and bottom heat. Now using a paring knife, core the whole apple, such that in the end you have a hole. I normally core the apples from top to middle and then from bottom to middle, then remove the core and scrape away any parts of the core left behind. (You could also use an apple corer to make your life easier). Next dust the inside of each apple hole with about ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and place them in a shallow baking dish.
- Now stuff each apple. Start with marzipan, followed by walnuts and then raisins and jam. Repeat the process until the hole is completely stuffed. It's better to end with marzipan or nuts, since the raisins taste bitter once burned. Drizzle the apples with lemon juice and bake for about 35 minutes.
- While the apples are in the oven you make the quickest and easiest vanilla sauce, made entirely from scratch. In a pot combine milk, heavy cream and vanilla sugar and heat over medium heat. While the milk mixture is cooking, separate the egg and keep egg yolk. Beat egg yolk, then add corn flour and combine well. Pour a small amount of warm milk mixture over the egg yolk – corn flour mixture and stir well. Add the egg mixtures to the pot. Keep stirring constantly until the sauce starts to bubble and has thickened. Remove from the heat and serve with baked apples.
Notes
- I've used homemade red currant jam to make it, but you could also use apricot jam, honey or any other jam of your choice.
- Feel free to cut down on the raisins or leave them out completely, if you’re not a fan like my father in law.
- Sometimes I also dust the apples with gingerbread spice mix instead of cinnamon
You don't have walnuts home, no problem, almonds or hazelnuts will work as well. - If the raisins that you’re using are hard, just pour hot water or apple juice over them to make them soft. You could also soak the raisins in rum if kids won’t be eating them.