Known in our family as “Candied Apple Slices,” these stovetop cinnamon apples are always a hit — and there are never any leftovers! All you need are 4 simple ingredients to make one of the best side dishes of all time!
Old Fashioned Cinnamon Apples
This is maybe the best thing ever to serve next to a pork roast or a pork chop! These cinnamon apple slices are cooked on the stove top and sprinkled with cinnamon and the result is a sweet apple side dish that everyone will love.
If you have any leftovers — which you probably won’t — they are great mixed in with oatmeal the next morning.
This amazing side dish has only four ingredients: apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. You don’t have to be a great cook to make these delicious apple slices. You just have to be able to boil water!
Despite the simplicity of this recipe the apples turn out with a special taste and texture that I’ve never gotten from any other recipe.
My mom taught me to make these apple slices years ago and they are a huge favorite with my kids. They always get eaten up whenever I serve them. Back in the day mom called them candied apple slices.
What is really cool about cooking the apples this way, is that the apples get cooked all the way through but they keep their apple slice shape. When I cook apples in other ways, sometimes they get mushy and fall apart. Not these guys.
They keep their nice apple slice shape and they get this lovely translucent look. Here’s how that happens.
These apple slices are cooked in a bath of sugar water. It cooks them and keeps them from getting mushy or falling apart.
When I serve these, I always cook a few apples in my Instant Pot without sugar for people that don’t want the added sugar. However, the regular apples usually get ignored in favor of the ones cooked in the sugar water.
Related: These cinnamon apple slices pair perfectly with our Garlic Pork Loin Roast!
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What You Need to Make Cinnamon Apples
- Equal parts sugar and water — I used 1 cup of each to cook 3 large apples.
- Apples — Any kind will work but I love the sweet crisp kinds such as gala, fuji, or honey crisp. Granny said she likes to use golden delicious.
- Cinnamon —Â You’ll need at least a couple teaspoons worth.
Kitchen Supplies Used:
- Large saucepan or Dutch oven
How Many Apples Should I Use?
I plan on one apple per person when I make this. Even still, there are rarely any leftovers!
If it’s part of a potluck or a dinner with a lot of dishes, you can do one apple for every two people.
I used Fuji and Honeycrisp apples for this recipe and they worked great. Feel free to use any apples you have on hand or ones that you enjoy.
How to Make Cinnamon Apples on the Stovetop
In a medium saucepan or deep skillet, bring your water and sugar to a simmer while you prepare the apples. Use equal parts sugar and water, which you can scale up or down depending on the number of apples used.
My default batch is 3 apples and I use 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. So you could plan for 1/3 cup each of sugar and water per apple.
Peel and slice your apples, then place enough to fill the bottom of your saucepan (with simmering sugar water).
Check your apples after about 10 minutes. Continue cooking until they are translucent — which may take up to 15-20 minutes. Flip apples as needed for even cooking.
When done cooking, lift apple slices out of the sauce with a slotted spoon and put them directly in your serving dish. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon.
Add another layer of apples to the water and sugar mixture and cook as before. When these are done, lift them out with a slotted spoon and add to the apples in the serving dish.
Sprinkle more cinnamon on the top.
Do I need to add more sugar between batches?
Admittedly, this recipe uses a lot of sugar. Not all of it gets absorbed into the apples but enough does. However, it’s just so good this way. For me, it’s a special occasion treat.
You can add more sugar and water to the pan whenever you are between apple slices. Let the sugar dissolve before you add more apple slices.
Can you save leftovers for later?
Of course stovetop apples taste best when they are served immediately, still warm. But if you do have any leftovers, don’t toss them!
You can absolutely refrigerate any leftovers and enjoy later. I think they taste amazing in oatmeal for breakfast the next day!
Stovetop Cinnamon Apples Recipe
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Stovetop Cinnamon Apples
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Paring knife
- Vegetable peeler
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 3 Apples
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon as needed
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan or deep skillet bring your water and sugar to a simmer while you prepare the apples.
- Peel your apples. I cut the apples into four quarters and then remove the core. Then I cut each quarter into three or four slices.
- Once the water is simmering, carefully add a single layer of apples to the water and sugar. You don't have to do too much to them after they are in the water.
- Check at the 10 minute mark. You can turn the apple slices over if they aren't done yet.
- After 15 or 20 minutes, the apple slices will look translucent and be cooked all the way through.Â
- Lift them out of the sauce with a slotted spoon and put them in your serving dish.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Add another layer of apples to the water and sugar mixture and cook as before.
- When these are done, lift them out with a slotted spoon and add to the apples in the serving dish.
- Sprinkle cinnamon on the top.
- Refrigerate any leftovers and enjoy later.
Notes
Nutrition
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