Cracker Barrel Fried Apples
This southern recipe is so much better than canned and tastes like the pan fried apples from Cracker Barrel. Each bite is tender, sweet and addicting! Serve these Copycat Cracker Barrel Fried Apples for breakfast, a side dish or dessert.
If you are a fan of Cracker Barrel restaurants, you needed to try this copycat recipe. It is crazy delicious and perfect with just about everything.
My dad and I have gone to Cracker Barrel several times on our trips to New York City. He says it’s his favorite restaurant and that he’s never not had a good meal from there. I’ve been craving their fried apples recipe since my last trip and now I just make it at home. I don’t live close to any Cracker Barrel restaurants sadly.
This is the perfect recipe for apple season. I love using apples in a dessert recipe. This dish also makes a delicious side dish, too! Who doesn’t want to add a little sweet treat to their dinner plate. I’ll never complain.
Who knows maybe this fried apple recipe will become a family favorite in your home as well. It’s one of those recipes you don’t forget too easily!
Why You’ll Love Copycat Cracker Barrel Fried Apples
- A delicious treat for dessert or a sweet afternoon snack
- Makes a yummy side dish on your family’s dinner table
- Great recipe to use your abundance of tart apples
- Bring one of Crackers Barrel’s favorite menu items to the convenience comfort of your own home
- Made with a handful of ingredients readily available at the grocery store
- Perfect fall comfort food
Ingredients
- Salted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Golden Delicious apples – Peel and core the apples and cut into 1/2 inch slices.
- Apple juice
- Cornstarch
The full printable recipe card can be found at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Cracker Barrel Fried Apples
- Step One: In a large skillet over medium heat, add the butter, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir constantly until the butter and sugars are melted.
- Step Two: Add the apples and coat them in the mixture. Place a lid on the pan and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until tender-crisp. Gently stir every few minutes to not break up the apples.
- Step Three: In a bowl, mix together the apple juice and cornstarch. Slowly stream this into the simmering apples, stirring constantly. Cook for one minute until thickened and serve immediately.
Equipment Needed
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What to Serve with Cracker Barrel Apples
- Scoop of vanilla ice cream
- Pork chops – Try my Pork Chop Skillet Dinner.
- Baked ham
- Pulled pork
- Top on granola and yogurt
- Add to oatmeal
- Topping for pancakes – Try my Cinnamon Banana Pancakes.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use apple cider in place of the apple juice. DO NOT USE apple cider vinegar!
- If you can’t find Golden Delicious apples, you can use Granny Smith apples instead. Some other options are Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Gala or Fuji. Use a baking apple.
- Try using dark brown sugar or using all brown sugar instead of adding in the white sugar.
- Love cinnamon? Add up to 1 tablespoon if you wish.
- Include a few other spices like ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice. You can also include just apple pie spice.
Storage Instructions
Store any leftover fried apples in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze this recipe. Store in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Do I Have to Peel the Apples?
If you don’t want to peel the apples, you don’t have to. You can still make this recipe with unpeeled apples.
Cracker Barrel peels their apples so that’s why we do it for this recipe.
What Does It Taste Like?
Close your eyes and take a bite and you’ll feel like you are back at Cracker Barrel!
The apples have some texture to them and are not mushy. They have the same scrumptious sweetness and light cinnamon flavor just like the original.
Do You Serve Fried Apples Warm or Cold?
You can serve them both ways! I prefer them warm, but I’ve also tried them cold and enjoyed them. I love putting them on top of pancakes while they are still warm.
What are the Best Apples to Use?
I recommend using baking apples. I like Golden Delicious apples, but know that they can be hard to find sometimes.
Other types of apples you can use include:
- Granny Smith
- Honeycrisp
- Braeburn
- Gala
- Fuji
- Pink Lady
How to Thicken Cooked Apples
I make a cornstarch slurry to thicken the apples. Usually a slurry is made by mixing together water and cornstarch, but in this recipe, I use apple juice instead of water.
Apple Recipes
- Caramel Apple Dump Cake
- Caramel Apple Pizza
- Apple Crisp Bars
- Nobby Apple Cake
- Caramel Apple Cookies
- Instant Pot Apple Butter
- Apple Compote
- Air Fryer Apples
- Apple Pie Egg Rolls
Try Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken Fried Steak, Big Mac Sauce, Copycat Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich, Copycat McDonald’s Sausage Egg McMuffins, Copycat Texas Roadhouse Rolls, Copycat Popeye’s Chicken Sandwich and Copycat Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Butter.
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Copycat Cracker Barrel Fried Apples
SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 ½ lb Golden Delicious apples peeled, cored, cut into ½ inch slices
- ½ cup apple juice
- 1.33 tbsp cornstarch*
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the butter, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir constantly until the butter and sugars are melted.
- Add the apples and coat them in the mixture. Place a lid on the pan and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until tender-crisp. Gently stir every few minutes to not break up the apples.
- In a bowl, mix together the apple juice and cornstarch. Slowly stream this into the simmering apples, stirring constantly. Cook for one minute until thickened and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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I loved these Apples. Will make again.