Name: Old Fashioned Apple Compote
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: French, American, Southern
Ingredients: 1 pound McIntosh, Cortland, or Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and sliced or diced; 2 tablespoons of butter; 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice; 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (add less if you prefer less sweet or more to taste); pinch of ground nutmeg; 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon; pinch of salt

This is my first recipe every fall called Old Fashioned Apple Compote it's a buttery cinnamon sliced or diced apple delight.

Growing up in Central Utica, N.Y., we lived close by apple orchards and many neighbors had apple trees, so we had an abundance of fruit that was generously given to us.

We would make Apple Pies, Apple Cake, Apple Handpies, and Apple Cider, and this compote was a favorite, especially at breakfast time.

Although it tastes great right from a spoonful, it's terrific on pancakes, waffles, for topping freshly baked Apple Pie Muffins, and even on vanilla ice cream!

During the winter months, mom did lots of canning apple compote in a mason jars to use for tarts and pies.

This is so easy and perfect for anything you grew up on using butter for these cinnamon-coated apples.

Mom even served them as a side dish with Baked Pork Chops.

So the skies are the limit on possibilities with this recipe just scroll down to the printable recipe card for our yummy recipe it's so easy!

Step by Step

Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan and saute the apples with spices
Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes
The apples should soften but still be firm not applesauce in consistency
Use this for breakfast, as side dishes, toppings, or as a filling
Simply make the compote, cool it, and put it into small freezer containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge for best results.

This easy cinnamon spiced apple compote is sure to become a winner staple in your home and it only takes 15 minutes to make for a variety of uses.

This favorite compote is perfect at breakfast time to top oatmeal or cream of wheat.

The kids loved it packed in their lunch box for dessert on a pudding cup.

There are several apples you could use as long as they are good baking apples and on the tart side, those varieties make the best compotes.

Just remember no matter which apples you try out, don't overcook them or the chunks will turn to applesauce and you want a firm diced chunky bite of apples.

Serving Ideas and Tips

as a topping on oatmeal and cereals
filling for muffins, cakes, pies, cupcakes
side dish with pork chops
topping for ice cream
topping for puddings and custards
for a thicker compote, you would have to simmer it longer, this will also make the apples softer instead of a chunkier compote, you can however add a tiny bit of cornstarch to thicken the syrup if desired with water
you can slice the apples or dice them
add more cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (we made ours to our preference in flavor)
if you prefer more of a vanilla flavor substitute it for the lemon juice

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More Apple Recipes

Apple Crumb Cake
Apple Blueberry Slab Pie
Pork Chop with Apple Stuffing
Country Apples
Apple Fried Donuts

Easy Apple Compote

If you love old-fashioned recipes just like grandma and mom used to make, this one should bring back some fond memories.

The apples are truly delicious just the way they are, but when you have bushels to use up, canning them or freezing them will preserve them all winter long!