Tender apples with warm and comforting vanilla and cinnamon syrup to spice up your favorite dessert and breakfast foods. This recipe comes together in about 20 minutes and can be eaten warm or cold.
Prep Time3 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple, fall recipe, winter recipe
Servings: 6
Equipment
Peeler
Apple core remover
Ingredients
3Ambrosia applescored and peeled
1/2cuphoney
1/3cupsugar
3cupswater
1/2orangeskin removed in wide strips with a vegetable peeler
1/2lemonskin removed in wide strips with a vegetable peeler
1piecethin cinnamon stickabout 1½ inches long
1Tbspvanilla extract
2piecesstar anise optional
Instructions
Use a peeler to take the skin off of your apples. then place your apple on a level surface. Put your apple core remover in the center of an apple, above the core. Firmly press down with one hand while you use the other hand to hold the apple in place. Repeat with the other two apples.
Put all the ingredients - except the Ambrosia apples - in a large saucepan: honey, sugar, water, zest and juice of lemon and orange, vanilla, and star anise (if using). Turn the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. As soon as the liquid starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. It should thicken to a syrup-like consistency.
Gently place the Ambrosia apples into the pan, so the syrup doesn't splatter. Bring the syrup back to a simmer. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until a knife can easily be inserted into the apples. Check early and often to avoid overcooking. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the apples to a bowl.
Turn up the heat and boil the syrup for another 10 minutes. You should end up with about 1¼ cups of naturally sweet syrup. Pour the syrup over the apples. Cover, and let the apples cool a bit - until slightly warm or at room temperature. Serve by itself or with your favorite breakfast or dessert!
Notes
Be sure to keep the syrup just under a boil when poaching your apples. This prevents the apples from becoming mushy and turning into applesauce.