Bratapfel, German Baked Stuffed Apple
Bratapfel is the smell of a German December, apples baked until they slump, traditionally filled with marzipan, butter, and sugar and floated in vanilla sauce. None of that is necessary to get the same result. A whole apple already turns to sweet puree in a hot oven; all it needs is a filling with backbone. Blended dates give the caramel richness, walnuts and raisins give texture and chew, and a little ground flaxseed holds the stuffing together as it bakes. The pan of water underneath is the only real technique: its steam keeps the flesh soft while the skin wrinkles and splits. Eat it warm, straight from the dish, with the syrupy juices spooned back over the top.
Ingredients
- 4 wholes Apples
- 1/3 cup Walnuts, chopped
- 3 tbsp Raisins
- 3 wholes Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
- 1 tbsp Ground flaxseed
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
Method
- Heat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Core each apple from the stem end without cutting through the base, leaving a deep well and a plug of apple at the bottom. That intact base is what holds the filling and the juices in, so the apple bakes into its own little cup rather than leaking.
- Blend the dates with 3 tablespoons (45 ml) hot water into a smooth paste, then stir in the walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, ground flaxseed, and lemon juice. Dates are the entire sweetener here: blended, they turn to a caramel-thick glue that binds the nuts and stands in for the sugar and butter a traditional Bratapfel is packed with.
- Press the filling firmly into each well, mounding what does not fit on top. Set the apples in a baking dish and pour 0.5 cup (120 ml) water around them. The shallow water turns to steam and keeps the apples from drying, so the flesh goes soft and spoonable instead of leathery.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the skins wrinkle and split and a knife slides through with no resistance. The split skin is the sign the inside has gone to puree; the walnuts on top toast and the raisins swell in the steam. Spoon the pan juices over each apple and serve warm.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 230 calories, 3 g protein, 6 g fiber, 5 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
