Baked Apple Pie Fries
I’ll take apples that are breaded and baked with oats, cinnamon and sugar over regular French fries any day.
Especially when I can dip them in salted caramel. I love ketchup, but caramel sauce will always win.
What I love about these ‘fries’ is that they remind me of apple pie, minus the work.
Anything that can give me the taste of apple pie, but save me from actually having to make one is a bonus. Unless we’re talking about this Caramel Apple Crumble Pie that even non-pie makers can make in 10 minutes.
The apple pie fries have a crunchy coating that reminds me of pie crust that meets granola. It’s a combination of quick cook oats, unseasoned Panko breadcrumbs, cinnamon, and sugars. Whatever coating falls off the apples and onto the baking tray is the best tasting ‘granola’ ever.
If you don’t normally buy quick-cook oats, pulse old-fashioned oats in the blender for 10 seconds and now you’ve got quick-cook. Panko breadcrumbs are sold nearby regular breadcrumbs, but they’re larger, coarser, and get crispier in the oven. I use Panko for my savory breaded recipes and swear by them for crispy results.
The fries aren’t as firm as traditional French fries and the apples have the texture of apples in an apple pie, but they’re breaded for crispiness. Soft warm apples, chewy oats, and crunchy breadcrumbs are a wonderful combo and the scent while they bake is heavenly.
There’s a bold but pleasant pop of cinnamon that perfectly complements the apples. For a twist, add pumpkin pie spice, ginger, nutmeg or your favorite warming spices.
There’s so much big flavor packed into the little fries that they don’t need dip, but The Best and Easiest Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce doesn’t hurt. Twist my arm.
When you’re up to our eyeballs in apples, you’ve got to try these. We inhaled the entire batch in 15 minutes.
Baked Apple Pie Fries
I'll take apples that are breaded and baked with oats, cinnamon and sugar over greasy French fries any day. Anything that can give me the taste of apple pie, but save me from actually having to make one is a bonus. The apple pie fries have a crunchy coating that reminds me of pie crust that meets granola. Whatever coating falls off the apples and onto the baking tray is the best tasting ‘granola'. The fries aren't as firm as traditional French fries and the apples have the texture of apples in an apple pie, but they're breaded for crispiness. There’s a bold but pleasant pop of cinnamon and for a twist, add pumpkin pie spice, ginger, nutmeg or your favorite warming spices. There’s so much big flavor packed into the little fries that they don’t need dip, but caramel sauce doesn’t hurt.
Yield: about 4 cups, serves 2 generously, 4 modestly
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: about 25 to 30 minutes
Total Time: about 45 minutes
Ingredients:
3 large or 4 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch wide strips (I used Fuji and recommend a firmer apple like Fuji or Gala. Granny Smith is okay if you like tarter apples)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (3/4 of 1 stick)
1 cup quick-cooking oats (pulse whole-rolled for 10 seconds in a blender to get quick-cook)
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon cinnamon
optional pinches of pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, ginger, etc., to taste
caramel sauce, optional for dipping (The Best and Easiest Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce, Trader Joe's, or your favorite)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat, parchment, or spray with cooking spray.
- Peel, slice and core apples into 1/4-inch wide segments. Error on slicing apples thinner rather than thicker side for best results. Place apples in a large bowl; set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Pour butter over apples and toss to combine with a soft-tipped spatula; set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients (except caramel sauce) and stir to combine.
- Add apples to the coating mixture and toss lightly but thoroughly with a spatula to coat well.
- Place apples on prepared baking tray, spaced evenly and with as much space in between as possible. If any are stuck together, break them apart. You want the oven air to circulate freely on all pieces so they get as crispy as possible. If there's a bit of extra coating mixture in the bottom of the bowl, feel free to sprinkle it over the apples. It bakes up into delicious crunchy 'granola'.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until coating is drier, set, and lightly golden brown. Start watching closely after 15 minutes and watch so the undersides don't become overly browned or burn. The moisture content in the apples will dictate baking time and juicier apples will take longer to bake; bake until your apples seem done without watching the clock. The fries are not 'firm' like French fries, and the texture is more like the apples you'd find in an apple pie, but breaded. Fries are best warm, fresh, and served with caramel sauce.
Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
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