Southern Fried Breakfast Apples

Making these Southern Fried Breakfast Apples is one of the best ways to sweeten up any breakfast. For as long as I can remember, southern fried apples have been one of my favorite foods. I most likely started eating them as a mere baby. Growing up, my mother made these almost every weekend. Fortunately, over the years, I have learned to make them myself. I use her recipe with some slight variations. 

This breakfast food has been passed down in my family from generation to generation. I remember my great-grandmother making them for me and my family when I was about three or four years old. And, I am almost certain that she learned how to cook them from her mother. She probably even learned how to make them as far back as her great-grandmother. 

Southern Fried Breakfast Apples

Recipe by Madison

5.0 from 2 votes

Course: Breakfast, BrunchCuisine: SouthernDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced about ¼ inch thick

• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Directions

• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and sugar together.
• Add apples and cinnamon. Cook for 8 to 9 minutes.
• Serve as a side with your favorite breakfast stables or eat by itself. Enjoy!

Notes

• Granny Smith apples are best to use because they are firm and tart.

Here’s a tip, you can peel and slice your apples a day or hours ahead of cooking them. All you have to do is peel and slice them as normal. Then, place them in a bowl of ice-cold water with a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. Place them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them. Drain the water, and give them a good rinse to rinse off any lemon taste. No need to pat them dry. Finally, cook them according to the recipe directions. 

The ingredients for these breakfast apples are basic. To make these, you need 2 tablespoons of butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, 4 Granny Smith apples, (peeled and sliced about ¼ inch thick), and 3 tablespoons of cinnamon. Prep for this takes about 5 minutes. Cooking these take about 10 minutes or a little less depending on your stove. 

These apples are truly easy to whip up. The hardest part of this is probably peeling and cutting up the apples. That part can be a bit tedious since I do it by hand. If you have an apple peeling machine, then that will make the prep time a lot faster.

To get started, be sure to wash and peel your apples. If you like the skin to stay on your apples, then feel free to keep the skin on. Since I am more texture-sensitive, I prefer to have no trace of apple skin whatsoever. However, to each their own. Then, slice the apples ¼” thick. In a large skillet, heat unsalted butter and sugar over medium heat. Let those two get nice and mixed together until the butter is melted. Then, add the apples and cinnamon. Using tongs or a spatula, toss the apple around in the skillet so that they get evenly coated. 

Cook the apples for about 8 to 10 minutes. Be sure to stir occasionally so that each apple gets evenly cooked. After cooking the apples, remove the skillet from the heat. Allow them to rest in the pan for at least 5 minutes. Allowing the apples to rest in the skillet helps the syrup to get a little thicker. 

Finally, serve them! These breakfast apples pair wonderfully with pancakes, waffles, or biscuits. Using the syrupy cinnamon mixture to dip the biscuits in makes for a yummy flavor. I hope that you enjoy these delicious and syrupy Southern Fried Breakfast Apples!