Hasselback Apples in Puff Pastry

Disclosure: This featured post originally appeared on ABCs & Garden Peas. This blogger has partnered with Kauffman’s Fruit Farm to review and post about products that they receive for free.

I learned something today. Something I’ll never forget.

I need more hasselback apples in my life.

Not just hasselback apples, but hasselback apples nestled into warm puff pastry.

Hard. Core. Delicious.

So how did these delights come to be? It’s kind of a roundabout story, but I’ll tell you, and then I’ll tell you how to make them. Deal?

I’m a Blogger Ambassador for Kauffman’s Fruit Farm, a local PA grower in Lancaster County. They send me fruit and great, authentic Amish specialties, and I share the inspiration with you. It’s a partnership that works for me, because look…

Their fruit is beautiful, perfectly ripe upon arrival and, since they use integrated pest management, I feel good about giving it to my kids. This month, they sent a [name] and every single piece of fruit was carefully packed in foam. Not a bump or bruise among them.

See Kauffman’s Fruit Farm Fresh Mix and Match Apples Box.

And the pears. The pears are like butter. Sweet butter from the gods.

That’s why fruit gift boxes from Kauffman’s Fruit Farm make great holiday gifts for foodies, friends, far away family. Anyone, really. They carry a lot of other options, too – big and small. You can choose to send just fruit, or a sampler with ingredients and specialties straight from Amish country. (DO NOT miss the pumpkin butter!)

But I don’t support Kauffman’s just because I like fruit. No, it’s more than that. I support their sustainable growing methods, their history as a small family-owned business, the Amish heritage they are preserving with their authentic foods, and the care they put into every package.

And while we’re on the subject, I really support their Asian pears.

So, back to the hasselback thing. I can’t take credit. No, it seems that Cooking Light posted a hasselback apples (happlebacks?) recipe recently and it sent readers into a tizzy, going viral all over the place. Can you blame them? This is crisp, buttery, cinnamon-y autumnal magic.

And since I had an entire box of fresh apples from Kauffman’s, I made them… and then baked them into a puff pastry. A move that I do not regret.

Although I may have left them under the broiler a minute too long. No bother. They were super yummy, and made a pretty presentation, too.

So, since the original apple recipe isn’t mine, go behold the famed Hasselback Apples recipe over on Cooking Light (there’s a must-watch video.) That will give you great measurements (I tend to work in pinches and dashes) along with a visual on how to cut your apples.

Then, come back and grab this recipe with your new expertise in hasselbacking. You’ll see some differences, but overall it all comes down to good apples, good stuff on top, and a light flaky puff pastry that you can simply pull out of your freezer.

If you would be so kind, please visit Kauffman’s Fruit Farm online and take a look at what they’ve put together for the holidays and beyond. (Click here and let’s show them how much my readers love real ingredients!) Keep them in mind if you’re sending gifts to anyone this year…and you might want to point your giftees this way if they need a way to use their glorious apples.

HASSELBACK APPLES IN PUFF PASTRY

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 45 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry
2 large apples
1 stick butter, divided
4 teaspoons coconut or white sugar
1 teaspoon apple pie spice (or to taste)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or to taste)
pinch salt
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup oats

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking stone or sheet with parchment paper and lay out puff pastry sheets to thaw according to package directions.
2. Peel and core apples and cut in half vertically. Place apples cut side down, and slice ¾ way through every ¼ inch or so (to give the hasselback effect, but do not cut all the way through.)
3. Place apple halves, flat side down, on a baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle each apple with a teaspoon of sugar, apple pie spice to taste and cinnamon to taste. Place a pat of butter from the stick on top of each apple and bake for approx. 10 minutes until apples begin to soften.
4. While apples are baking, melt remaining butter and combine with brown sugar, oats, salt, and additional cinnamon, if desired. Mix well.
By this time, puff pastry sheets should be properly thawed. Remove apples from oven and, using a spatula, place 2 apple halves on each sheet of pastry. Place a heaping spoonful of oat mixture on top of each apple and spread to cover.
5. Bake apple pastries for approx 20 minutes or until pastry is golden and flaky. To get a crispy topping, place pastries under broiler at the end of the baking period for about 2 minutes, watching closely so as not to burn the crust.

NOTES: Try adding coconut to the topping for a different spin.

I might have topped these with ice cream, but I gave them away. Do you love getting food gifts as much as I do?