Two Holiday Desserts Featuring Apples

Whether your festivities include immediate family or bring together relatives from around the country, the holidays are about making memories with loved ones. From the first days of the season to the last, many families spend their precious time together with favorite activities and the best foods the holidays have to offer.

This year, you can change things up and start new traditions with a fresh ingredient like Envy apples, which provide an easy way to update classics due to their sweet taste and availability. The sweet, sophisticated flavor; uplifting, fresh aroma; delightfully satisfying crunch; beautiful appearance; and naturally white flesh that doesn’t brown as quickly as other apples all lend themselves to shareable recipes like Apple Custard Sponge Trifle and Brown Butter Apple Pie, perfect for holiday parties.

Find more memory-making recipes at EnvyApple.com.


Apple Custard Sponge TrifleApple Custard Sponge Trifle

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

  • 6 Envy apples
  • 2 tablespoons golden caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, water
  • 1 tablespoon corn flour
  • 1 large plain sponge cake
  • 2 cups vanilla bean custard
  • 1/2 cup caramel or butterscotch sauce, plus additional for garnish, divided
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • Fresh apple slices
  • Fresh strawberry slices

Instructions:

Peel, core and dice apples; place in large saucepan. Add caster sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 cup water. Simmer apples 5-8 minutes until tender.

Combine corn flour and remaining water. Stir corn flour mixture into apples until apples are syrupy.

Cut sponge cake into 2-centimeter diced pieces. Arrange 1/3 of sponge pieces in base of serving bowl. Add half of cinnamon apple pieces, including syrupy juices. Add 1 cup custard and drizzle with 1/4 cup caramel sauce. Repeat with remaining ingredients, finishing with sponge cake; chill.

Whip cream and spoon dollops over sponge cake to cover top. Garnish with apple slices, strawberry slices and caramel sauce.


Brown Butter Apple PieBrown Butter Apple Pie

Ingredients:

Streusel topping:

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Filling:

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 pounds Envy apples, cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 deep dish frozen pie shell

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

To make streusel topping: Mix flour, chopped pecans and light brown sugar. Stir in butter using fingertips until incorporated with small lumps of butter visible. Refrigerate.

To make filling: In large skillet over medium heat, melt butter until amber, stirring often. Set aside to cool. In large bowl, stir sliced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla and flour using spatula. Pour brown butter over apples and mix, scraping skillet with rubber spatula to incorporate brown butter bits.

Place frozen pie shell on baking sheet. Add 2 cups apple mixture into shell, gently pressing apple slices for even base. Add remaining apple slices and gently press. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over apples.

Bake 30 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 F and bake 35-45 minutes until topping is golden and apples feel tender when pierced with fork.