Last Updated on April 2, 2024 by Share My Kitchen
My first memory of these Bulgarian baked apples was at my Grandma’s. It is a famous Bulgarian dessert that grannies tend to make best! I can’t say if they were with honey and walnuts or made some other way but I remember my stubbornness in wanting to avoid them. Maybe I was either a picky eater or slightly stupid at the time (perhaps both), however today this is one of my favourite desserts, really.
What’s Bulgarian Baked Apples Like
Bulgarian baked apples are stuffed with goodies before they’re baked. One type of stuffing consists of butter, crushed walnuts, sugar and cinnamon, mixed together and packed into the inside of a hollowed-out apple.
The other type is the one that we like and described in this recipe – it’s got raisin and honey in the filling, plus cinnamon and crushed walnuts. And that’s all, nothing more and nothing less.
How To Make Bulgarian Baked Apples
Ingredients:
- 6 medium tart apples
- 3 tbsp raisins, soaked*
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 5 tbsp honey
- 5 tbsp crushed walnuts
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (if apples are not tart enough)
- *We soaked our raisins in brandy for 4-5 hours. If you don’t like alcohol, soak them in water.
Method
Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.
Add raisins, honey, walnuts and cinnamon to a medium-size mixing bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
Core apples and score the skin around their middles and place them in a baking dish. Scoring the skin is optional (I didn’t) but bear in mind that skin will crack during baking.
Fill each apple with 1 to 2 tsp of the filling mixture. Arrange in a high-sided baking dish just large enough to hold the apples. (I used an 8-inch square baking dish for these, but a pie tin would have worked as well.)
How long should you bake Bulgarian baked apples
Lower the heat and bake for 60 minutes at 150 C° /300 or until apples are tender. The filling will become thick and generally should not blacken but if it does, cover the apples with foil and continue cooking.
Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
