German Baked Apples Bratapfel
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 apples 1x
- Category: Dessertsq
- Cuisine: German
Ingredients
- half cup apple cider, apple juice or water (plus more to add to pan as needed)
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 4 tart baking apples
- about 1/2 lemon, optional
- 2 tablespoons marzipan (optional)
- 1/4 chopped almonds
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
- half a teaspoon salt
- spices of choice, 1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon, apple pie spice, and/or a few grinds of black pepper
- Cinnamon sticks and star anise for decoration, optional
Instructions
Soak the raisins in the apple juice/cider for two hours or place them, with the juice/cider in the microwave for 2 minutes on high. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 390 degrees F. Grease a casserole large enough to hold the apples, preferably with a little space between each apple.
Wash your apple, cut off the upper portion for a lid. Generously core, leaving about 1/2 inch on the outside. Squeeze lemon juice over all cut portions, including the cut portion of the lid. Save any lemon left and squeeze over the apples after they’re filled.
Mix together the drained raisins (reserve the soaking liquid). Cut off the upper part like a lid and core it generously. (Reserve some of the removed apple in case it’s needed for the filling.)
If using Marzipan, crumble it into a small bowl. Add the softened butter, mix together. It will not be smooth; lumpy is just fine. Add in the almonds, the raisins, sweetener of choice, salt, and any spices. Taste and adjust salt, sugar, seasonings to taste.
Divide filling into 4 portions (One apple may be filled to see if there is enough filling; if not, chop some of the reserved apple and add.) Press the filling into each apple, mounding as needed. Add apples to casserole. If you have any lemon left, squeeze it over the filling. Pour the reserved soaking liquid over. Place apples into oven; set aside the “lids”. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a small knife inserted in one pierces easily. Add lids and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes.
As apples bake, watch the liquid level; it should turn golden brown but if it looks as if it could be in danger of burning (it will get dark around the edges of the pan) add additional liquid in small amounts, a few tablespoons at a time, as needed.
Add to Now press the filling into the baked apples until they are full, there may also be something over them. Greases a baking dish. Take the baked apples, put them in the mold, and pour the remaining apple juice over them. Now bake them without a lid for 25 minutes.
This filling is for an average size apple; if using larger apples, increase the filling and juice/apple juice to compensate.