Warm Stewed Cinnamon Apples : Food Jar Recipe

Stewed Cinnamon Apples (The Warm Hug in a Jar)

Three ingredients, ten minutes, and I'd bet you have everything in the kitchen right now. These little cinnamon apples smell like autumn and taste like apple pie filling, and they might be the easiest recipe in this whole series. They're brilliant warm in a food jar on a chilly morning, but honestly they're just as happy stirred through yoghurt or spooned over porridge, so a batch never goes to waste.

You'll need:

• 4 apples (any kind you've got, though Pink Lady and Granny Smith are lovely here)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ¼ cup water

Here's how:

1. Peel the apples and dice them into fairly even pieces. They don't need to be perfect, just similar sizes so they cook evenly. (Older kids can help with this bit.)
2. Pop a small saucepan over low heat and add the water, apples, cinnamon and maple syrup.
3. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes until the apples have softened. If the pan starts looking dry before they're done, just add a splash more water.
4. That's it. Done. Told you it was easy.

A few little notes from me:

• Double or triple the batch while you're at it. They keep in the fridge for 4 days and freeze beautifully for up to 3 months, so one Sunday effort covers weeks of breakfasts and lunchbox treats.
• These are magic in so many places: stirred through Greek yoghurt with a sprinkle of granola, on top of porridge or pancakes, with custard for an easy dessert, or folded into muffin batter.
• Want to make it feel extra special? A tiny pinch of nutmeg or a few sultanas thrown in while they cook.

Jodie's food jar tips:

• For a warm little lunch treat: pre-warm the jar with boiling water for 5 minutes, tip it out, then fill with the apples reheated until piping hot. Perfect with a small container of yoghurt or custard packed alongside for spooning over.
• These also work cold! Layer chilled stewed apples with yoghurt and granola in the jar for a lunchbox parfait. In that case, skip the pre-warm and pop an ice pack in the lunch bag instead.
• Pack the granola separately if you're doing the parfait, so it stays crunchy until lunch. Soggy granola is right up there with soggy shallots.