66 Best Rated Dishes With Apples

A traditional pastry dessert with a rich and vivid history, apfelstrudel (apple strudel) is one of Austria's most popular delicacies. This sweet treat consists of thin layers of dough filled with a flavorful apple filling. Its story starts with the invention of baklava, a filo pastry popular in the Balkans and the Middle East.

Since baklava requires very thin dough, similar to strudel, the technique was likely perfected by either the Ottomans or the Greeks. It is believed that strudel arrived in Hungary first, then Austria, due to the fact that the Ottomans had constant interactions with the Habsburgs. 

Appeltaart is a traditional apple pie that is very often accompanied by a cup of hot coffee. Although it is essentially the same as most apple pies, Dutch appeltaart differs from the classic American apple pie in many ways: it is baked in a spring-form pan, making it deeper; it is drier on the interior; it is full of big chunks of apple, currants, and raisins, and it is full of speculoos spices such as cinnamon, lemon juice, and other warm spices.

Appeltaart dates back to the Middle Ages and it is believed that the baking time was measured by the number of prayers one had to say until it was ready to be taken out of the oven since ovens with temperature controls didn't exist at the time. In the Netherlands, appeltaart is usually served at room temperature and topped with a dollop of whipped cream, what is known as appeltaart met slagroom. 

Jabłecznik, also known as Polish apple cake, is a traditional dessert in Poland. It consists of a layer of spiced apple filling sandwiched between two layers of sponge cake. The more popular szarlotka is similar but has shortcrust pastry in place of sponge cake.

The apples are often mixed with cinnamon, sugar, and sometimes a touch of lemon juice, creating a sweet and slightly tart flavor profile. This cake is commonly dusted with powdered sugar before serving and is enjoyed as a comforting treat, especially during the autumn and winter months. 

Almás pite is a traditional apple pie known for its rustic, homemade qualities. It typically consists of a buttery, flaky pastry that encases a sweetened apple mixture, usually flavored with cinnamon and sometimes lemon zest or vanilla. The apples are grated and mixed with sugar and spices, then sandwiched between layers of dough.

After baking, the pie develops a golden-brown crust and a juicy, fragrant apple filling. It’s often dusted with powdered sugar before serving and can be enjoyed warm or cold, sometimes accompanied by whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. Almás pite is a comforting, home-style dessert that is commonly made in Hungarian households, especially in the autumn when apples are in season.

Regarded as close cousins of pies, crumbles are simple and hearty baked creations made with sweet or savory ingredients. The sweet varieties usually consist of fruit that is placed on the bottom of the tray and topped with a crumbly mixture of butter, sugar, and flour.

The savory variants employ meat or vegetables and use cheese as a replacement for sugar. Ground or chopped nuts and oats are a very common addition to the crumbly topping, which provides a more complex texture of the crispy cover. It is believed that the British crumble originated in the midst of the Second World War when original pie ingredients were hard to come by and were considered a luxury. 

A decadent version of the classic apple pie, tarte Tatin consists of sliced apples seasoned with butter, sugar, and cinnamon, topped with a buttery pie crust pastry, and baked until the apples become golden and syrupy. The whole cake is then inverted upside-down on a serving platter.

The name of this dessert honors the Tatin sisters, the owners of a restaurant near the city of Orléans who invented the recipe in the early 1900s. However, the cake gained huge popularity when the famous Maxim's Restaurant put it on their menu. 

Jabukovača is a traditional Bosnian apple pie originating from the city of Sarajevo. It is made just like baklava, with the addition of chopped apples. The thin dough is spread with a combination of chopped apples, sugar, vanilla sugar, walnuts, and lemon juice.

It is then rolled and arranged in the baking tray. When served, jabukovača is usually cut into slices and doused in sherbet – a combination of sugar, honey, and lemon juice.

A modest member of the large family of apple-based desserts, apple cobbler is a simplified version of a pie invented by American pioneers during the 19th century. The name cobbler was derived from the word cobbled, meaning roughly put together – apples on bottom, crust on top, or the other way around, depending on the recipe.

As a dessert which marks the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, apple cobbler is usually seasoned with cinnamon and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

This French classic hails from Normandy, a region famous not only for apples but also for its Calvados apple liqueur, both of which are essential ingredients of tarte Normande and make the perfect match for the delicately sweet almond frangipane cream filling, while the base is made with pâte brisée or shortcrust pastry.

Norman apple tart is typically served with a dollop of crème fraîche on the side, and it is best enjoyed while still warm.