Now that nights are longer and there’s a distinct chill in the air, it’s time to head back into the kitchen and fill your home with the smell of cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar and everything sweet. The flavors of fall are warm and comforting, and there’s a reason so many people eagerly await their favorite coffee shops rolling out all apple everything.
There’s much to love about that seasonal gourd, of course, but we also want to tip our hats to the humble apple, which brings just as much joy to the season. Here, you’ll find two recipes, one for cinnamon apple crepes and one for brown butter apples, which are perfect for cool evenings and lingering a little longer over the table with guests or loved ones. (And, yes, they both make your house smell divine).
Apple Cinnamon Crepes
Yields 8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 Tbs. water
- 2 Tbs. cornstarch
- 1 Tbs. water
- 1½ Tbs. milk
- 8 tsp. vegetable oil, divided
Directions
Whisk eggs and salt together in a bowl. Gradually stir flour into eggs, alternately with 2 cups milk, until fully incorporated. Beat ¼ cup vegetable oil and ½ teaspoon cinnamon into flour mixture. Refrigerate batter for at least 1 hour.
Mix apples, sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 2 tablespoons water in a pot.
Whisk cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl; pour into apple mixture.
Simmer apple mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Keep warm.
Whisk 1½ tablespoons milk into chilled batter.
Heat about 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in a crepe or frying pan over medium heat. Pour about 1/3 cup batter into hot oil; tip and rotate the crepe pan until batter covers the entire area. Cook until edges begin curling away from the pan’s sides, about 30 seconds; flip crepe and continue cooking until bottom is lightly golden, about 30 more seconds. Remove crepe from the pan, add more oil and repeat with remaining batter.
Spoon apple filling into each crepe; fold crepe over filling and serve.
Spiced Brown-Butter Apples
Yields 6 servings
Ingredients
- 6 small Pink Lady apples (2 to 2½ pounds), halved lengthwise
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, plus 1 Tbs. for greasing baking dish
- ¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. fresh nutmeg, grated
- ¼ tsp. Chinese five-spice
- 2½ Tbs. light brown sugar
- 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- 1/3 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
- vanilla ice cream or heavy cream, for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Rub 1 tablespoon butter on bottom and sides of a 13×9-inch baking dish.
Scoop out and discard core and seeds from each apple half using a melon baller or teaspoon. Slice a very thin sliver from opposite side of apple so apple lays flat. Arrange the apples, cored sides up, snugly in prepared baking dish.
Melt remaining ¼ cup butter in small skillet or saucepan over medium. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and Chinese five-spice, and heat until fragrant and just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Whisk in brown sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Spoon butter mixture evenly into hollows of apples. Use the back of spoon to spread a thin layer onto cut surfaces of apples.
Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake in preheated oven until apples start to soften, 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover dish and scatter pecans over apples. Baste with juices from bottom of pan. Increase oven temperature to 400°F, and bake until apples are nicely browned and very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of heavy cream.
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