Maple Fried Apples

Fried apples remind me of...home. 

It's a comfort food to me, because Mom has made them for special breakfasts all my life!  Places like Cracker Barrel have made fried apples more popular, but to me there's nothing like them made from scratch!  When they're so easy to make, why not?

I use two different kinds of apple--Granny Smith for tartness and Jonagold's for sweetness--and the contrasting colors of red and green are so appealing to the eyes!  Adding real maple syrup and walnuts along with some warm spices, trust me when I say these apples are melt in your mouth goodness!

Fried apples are good to eat with any country breakfast or dinner, for that matter!  But they are also a wonderful addition over pancakes (with extra maple syrup) or stirred into old fashioned oatmeal--that's how Mr. Cozy ate are them over the weekend.  Whatever way you decide to eat fried apples, they will lend a bit of sweetness that's sure to be delicious!!!

Seriously, wherever I eat fried apples, I'm taken back to Mom's kitchen in a waft of cinnamon and sugar....

You've heard it said before, and I find it's true, that there's no place like home!

( Like many things that I've always remembered "just making", I don't have an exact recipe for fried apples.  Don't worry, these are very easy to make and hard to mess up!  Honestly, you can be very creative and add whatever sugar or spice you prefer.  I tried to make them with at least a little bit of health in mind, so this time the only sugar I used was the maple syrup, but brown sugar is AMAZING or molasses.  I like the combination of cinnamon and apple pie spice, because it that you have all of the flavors that compliment apples. Also, I used walnuts for their Omega 3's, but pecans would also be delish.  I keep the peel on the apple for the fiber and color, but peel them if you like. I hope you love this recipe, too!)

Maple Fried Apples

Butter, the real thing!

2 Jonagold apples, unpeeled and sliced 

1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled and sliced

Lemon Juice

 Real Maple Syrup

Cinnamon

Apple Pie Spice

Walnuts (or Pecans)

Be sure to wash your apples well before slicing since we're not peeling them.  Slice them not too thin or thick, so they won't completely lose shape.  Squeeze lemon juice over apples while they sit.

In a medium sized cast iron skillet,  add about 3 Tbsp. of butter and turn on medium heat.

When butter is mostly melted and sizzling, add apples and about 3 Tbsp. maple syrup.  Stir.

Add a couple dashes of cinnamon and a few dashes of apple pie spice.  Stir everything together well, and allow this to cook for a few minutes until apples begin to get tender.

Add walnuts and cook a few minutes more until apple get more tender, the buttery syrup thickens, and all the flavors combine. (I carefully do a taste test here to decide if I need to add any more syrup or spice.)

Serve warm from the pan!

Makes 2-3 servings

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