Have you already decided what to cook and bake for Christmas this year? Are you more into classic dishes or can it be modern and “experimental? We haven’t decided on the main courses yet this year, but the dessert has been chosen already: Baked Apples with Marzipan & Pecans will be served on one of the Christmas holiday days ;)
The Christmas menu is always something we have to work on for quite a while. We like traditional dishes – I guess many families have their traditions when it comes to the Christmas dinner and serve the same stuff year after year. Even though we also like traditional recipes, we prefer to mix it up a bit each year. The only thing that is the same each year: it’s going to be a lot of food! :P
We haven’t had baked apples for quite a while I have to admit. Dunno why… they are really delicious and easy to modify if you want them to be different – you know – different filling, topping, etc. Also easy to prepare so you don’t have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen on Christmas ;) Well… these here are my “testing apples” for this year cause I never used pecans before and I made them in a cute little pan so I don’t even have to think a lot about decoration and stuff… just place it on the table and everybody can grab an apple ;)
The pan I used is from Sanjo Special Cast and can be bought at shushu-online.de* for example. I really love that kind of minimalistic Japanese design. If the design of your plates and stuff is simple, the food on top is getting more attention ;) The pan is not only nice but also very functional. You can cook in it, you can bake something (in the oven up to 480°F) and you can use it as well to serve your dish.
If you are into Japanese design, you should definitely take a look at the shop – they have a lot of pans, pots and other stuff for the kitchen. If you are looking for a nice gift for a foodie… maybe a good place to check. If you live in or around Munich you can even go and visit a real shop* they have ;)
About the baked apples – if you are not into pecans, you can also use walnuts or hazelnuts. Even raisins work well in the filling, but not many people like them I guess ;) One time we added some streusel on top of the apples to get something similar to an apple crumble… also really nice :D
So… what are your plans for Christmas? Did you already decide what your dinner is going to be? Is there something you always have to make for Christmas? Something you do not like at all? Tell me in the comments… I really like to know.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(3 servings)
3 medium apples
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. orange juice
3.5 oz. (100g) marzipan, diced finely
1.7 oz. (50g) pecans, chopped
some ground cinnamon
(3 Portionen)
3 mittelgroße Äpfel
1 EL Butter
1 EL Zucker
3 EL Orangensaft
100g Marzipan-Rohmasse, gewürfelt
50g Pekannusskerne, gehackt
etwas Zimt
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Chop the marzipan into small dices. Chop the pecans and set aside.
2. Wash and dry the apples. Cut off the top and remove the insides of the apples with a spoon. The remaining sides of the apples should still be about 0.2 inches thick. Cut the insides you took out (without the core) and the part you cut off and cut into small dices. Add the butter into a small pan or pot and heat up. Add the sugar and let melt. Add the apple pieces and toss around to cover with the butter-sugar mix. Add the orange juice and let cook for some time until the apples are a bit softer. Take off the heat and add the chopped marzipan and pecans. Season with some cinnamon and fill into the cored apples.
3. Place the apples in a heatproof pan or casserole and bake for about 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and serve warm with some vanilla sauce or ice cream.
1. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Die Marzipan-Rohmasse in kleine Würfel schneiden. Die Pekannüsse hacken. Zur Seite stellen.
2. Die Äpfel waschen und trocknen. Auf der Oberseite einen Deckel abschneiden und dann mit einem Löffel aushöhlen – rundum sollte noch ein 1/2 cm breit Apfel mit Schale stehen bleiben, also nicht zu viel rausholen. Den Deckel und die Innereien ohne das Gehäuse in kleine Würfel schneiden. Die Butter in einer kleinen Pfanne oder Topf erhitzen, Den Zucker dazugeben und schmelzen. Die Apfelstücke dazugeben und darin wenden. Mit dem Orangensaft ablöschen und alles kurz köcheln lassen, bis die Apfelstücke etwas weicher geworden sind. Vom Herd nehmen und mit der Marzipan Rohmasse und den Pekannüssen vermischen, mit etwas Zimt würzen und in die ausgehöhlten Äpfel füllen.
3. Die gefüllten Äpfel in eine hitzebeständige Pfanne oder Auflaufform setzen und für etwa 20 Minuten backen. Die Bratäpfel aus dem Ofen holen und warm mit Vanillesoße oder Eis servieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Baked Apples with Marzipan and Pecans
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 35
Description
Delicious winter treat not only for Christmas: Baked Apples with Marzipan and Pecans. So good you want to eat them all at once ;)
Ingredients
- 3 medium apples
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 3 tbsp. orange juice
- 3.5 oz. (100g) marzipan, diced finely
- 1.7 oz. (50g) pecans, chopped
- some ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Chop the marzipan into small dices. Chop the pecans and set aside.
- Wash and dry the apples. Cut off the top and remove the insides of the apples with a spoon. The remaining sides of the apples should still be about 0.2 inches thick. Cut the insides you took out (without the core) and the part you cut off and cut into small dices. Add the butter into a small pan or pot and heat up. Add the sugar and let melt. Add the apple pieces and toss around to cover with the butter-sugar mix. Add the orange juice and let cook for some time until the apples are a bit softer. Take off the heat and add the chopped marzipan and pecans. Season with some cinnamon and fill into the cored apples. Place the apples in a heatproof pan or casserole and bake for about 20 minutes. Take out of the oven and serve warm with some vanilla sauce or ice cream.
Notes
- Enjoy baking!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3
*I have partnered with shushu-online.de to bring you this delicious baked apples. That is why I have to declare this here in Germany as Advertising. All I wrote in this article is still based on my own opinion and has not been affected by anybody :)
I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
