📝 About This Recipe
A quintessential symbol of German Christmas markets and cozy winter evenings, the Bratapfel is a nostalgic dessert that fills the home with the scent of cinnamon and cloves. This classic preparation features tart Boskoop apples hollowed out and filled with a rich mixture of almond marzipan, crunchy walnuts, and plump rum-soaked raisins. Baked until the skin just begins to burst and the flesh turns buttery soft, it is the ultimate comfort food for the cold season.
🥗 Ingredients
The Apples
- 4 pieces Large Tart Apples (Preferably Boskoop, Braeburn, or Holsteiner Cox)
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice (To prevent browning)
The Gourmet Filling
- 100 grams Marzipan Paste (Quality almond paste, crumbled)
- 50 grams Walnuts (Roughly chopped)
- 40 grams Raisins (Soaked in dark rum or apple juice for 30 minutes)
- 30 grams Unsalted Butter (Softened)
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1 tablespoon Honey or Maple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Orange Zest (Freshly grated)
Baking Liquid & Topping
- 150 ml Apple Juice (Naturally cloudy preferred)
- 20 grams Cold Butter (Cut into 4 small cubes for the top)
- 2 tablespoons Sliced Almonds (For extra crunch)
Classic Vanilla Sauce (Vanillesauce)
- 250 ml Whole Milk
- 100 ml Heavy Cream
- 1 piece Vanilla Bean (Scraped seeds and pod)
- 3 large Egg Yolks
- 40 grams Sugar
👨🍳 Instructions
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1
Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F). Grease a medium-sized baking dish with a little butter to prevent sticking.
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2
Wash and dry the apples. Using an apple corer, remove the core from each apple, creating a wide enough cavity (about 2-3 cm) to hold plenty of filling, but ensure you don't cut all the way through the bottom if possible. If you do, just plug it with a piece of apple later.
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3
Drizzle a little lemon juice inside the hollowed apples to keep them bright and prevent oxidation.
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4
In a medium bowl, combine the crumbled marzipan, chopped walnuts, soaked raisins (drained), softened butter, cinnamon, cloves, orange zest, and honey.
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5
Use a fork or your fingers to knead the filling until it forms a cohesive, sticky paste.
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6
Stuff each apple generously with the marzipan mixture, pressing it down firmly. It's okay if the filling mounds slightly over the top.
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7
Place the stuffed apples in the prepared baking dish. Pour the apple juice into the bottom of the dish around the apples.
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8
Place a small cube of cold butter on top of each apple's filling and sprinkle with the sliced almonds.
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9
Bake in the center of the oven for 25-35 minutes. The apples are done when the skin starts to slightly crack and a knife slides into the flesh with no resistance.
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10
While the apples bake, prepare the vanilla sauce: Heat milk, cream, vanilla seeds, and the pod in a small saucepan until just simmering.
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11
Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl until pale. Slowly pour the hot milk into the eggs while whisking constantly (tempering).
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12
Return the mixture to the saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Do not let it boil!
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13
Remove the apples from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes. This allows the juices to settle and the filling to firm up slightly.
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14
Serve each apple in a shallow bowl, drizzled generously with the warm vanilla sauce and a spoonful of the pan juices.
💡 Chef's Tips
Choose 'cooking apples' like Boskoop; they have the perfect acidity to balance the sweet filling and hold their shape without turning into mush. If the almonds on top start to brown too quickly, loosely cover the dish with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. For a nut-free version, replace walnuts with toasted sunflower seeds or simply increase the amount of raisins and oats. To ensure the apple doesn't burst messily, use a sharp knife to score a shallow line through the skin around the equator of the apple before baking.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve warm with a generous pour of homemade Vanillesauce (Vanilla Custard). Pair with a glass of hot German Glühwein (Mulled Wine) or Kinderpunsch for the authentic Christmas market experience. Add a scoop of high-quality vanilla bean ice cream if you prefer a cold-hot temperature contrast. A dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream with a pinch of cardamom makes for an elegant alternative topping. For a rustic touch, serve with a side of tart red currant jam (Preiselbeeren).