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Bratapfel (German baked apples with almond paste)
Whole apples stuffed with homemade almond paste, raisins and nuts, baked until soft
Across Germany, Bratäpfel are the smell of Advent: on cold December afternoons and evenings tart apples go into the oven filled with marzipan, raisins and nuts, and come out puffed, split and bubbling. The skin wrinkles, the flesh turns to a soft, sweet-sour purée and the almond filling melts into the juices. Serve them hot in their dish with the pan juices spooned over, and a plant-based vanilla sauce or a spoon of cold cream if you are not keeping them vegan. Shop marzipan sometimes contains egg white, so here you make a quick egg-free almond paste from ground almonds, icing sugar and a few drops of water, which holds the filling together just as well. The raisins are soaked in apple juice instead of rum. Chef's tip: choose a firm, sharp baking apple and score a ring around its middle; the common mistake is using a sweet eating apple without scoring, which bursts and collapses before the core is tender.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the apples
- 4 tart baking applessuch as Boskop or Bramley, about 200 g each
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the egg-free almond paste
- 2 ⅛ oz ground almonds
- 1 ¾ oz icing sugar
- 2 tsp water or rose water
For the filling
- 1 oz raisins
- ¾ cup apple juicedivided
- 1 oz hazelnutschopped
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
To serve
- ¾ cup plant-based vanilla sauce (optional)warm
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Soak 1 oz raisins in 3 tbsp of 3 tbsp apple juice for 10 minutes, until plump. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan).
10 minStep 2: Make the almond paste: knead 2 ⅛ oz ground almonds, 1 ¾ oz icing sugar and 2 tsp water or rose water together with your fingers until it forms a smooth, firm paste that holds when pressed.
Step 3: Crumble the paste into a bowl and mix in the soaked raisins with their juice, 1 oz hazelnuts and ½ tsp ground cinnamon.
Step 4: Wash 4 tart baking apples and cut out the cores with an apple corer, leaving a 2–3 cm hole. With a small knife, score a shallow line around the middle of each apple. Brush the cut surfaces with 1 tbsp lemon juice.
Step 5: Stand the apples in a small baking dish greased with 1 tbsp sunflower oil and pack the filling firmly into the holes, mounding a little on top.
Step 6: Pour the remaining ½ cup apple juice into the dish around the apples.
Step 7: Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the skins have wrinkled and split along the score line and a skewer slides into the flesh with no resistance. Baste once with the dish juices halfway.
28 minStep 8: Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with the pan juices spooned over and ¾ cup plant-based vanilla sauce on the side if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bratapfel (German baked apples with almond paste) take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of tart baking apples?
- Pears, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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