Quick, homey warmed apple slices

My son and I had an hour at the bookstore the other day, and I found myself thumbing through the recipes in Kids Cook 1-2-3. It's a lovely cookbook full of three-ingredient recipes kids can make themselves...pretty inspiring for time-challenged parents, too.

Anyway, in honor of the three-ingredient concept, here's something I cooked up as a side dish for dinner  because we were out of vegetables. The response from my kids was overwhelmingly positive. This would make a great after-school snack on a chilly afternoon. Or -- serve on top of ice cream or waffles or oatmeal.

WARMED CINNAMON APPLE SLICES (dubbed "Apple pie apples" by my daughter)

4 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (to taste)
(Optional, if you're not a three ingredient purist: a pat of butter)

Place the sliced apples on a pie plate. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Optionally, place the butter on top. Cover with waxed paper and cook in the microwave on full power till the apples are soft and juicy but not mushy (for me, about 2 minutes). Stir, let cool for a minute or two, and serve.

Related: Favorite kids' cookbook? Talk amongst yourselves.

Comments

[Michael]

Perfect timing! We just went to a U-Pick apple orchard where our 6 year old convinced us that she has "fruit picker" in her vocational future. We'll be using this tip a lot this week.

Michael
http://www.familyhack.com

[Susanna]

Honey instead of sugar is yummy, too.

[Dana]

I love Kids Cook 1-2-3. I wrote up a little blurb about it a couple of months ago:
http://www.mombian.com/2007/09/20/book-recommendation-kids-cook-1-2-3/

Although the recipes are all simple, as the title suggests, they are "real" recipes made mostly from scratch, not dumbed-down versions using lots of pre-made items. (Exceptions are things like frozen puff pastry.) The book is fun without being cutesy--definitely one both kids and adults will enjoy.

[Parent Hacks Editor]

Dana: Agreed. The recipes are actually quite elegant.

[Scott]

I make something like this from time to time (also with pears) - I add some quick-cook oatmeal and a handful of raisins (in addition to the already mentioned sugar/honey + cinnamon). I usually cut the apples/pears into cubes. Makes something like an apple (not-so-crispy) crisp when the moisture from the apples mixes with the oatmeal.

[JVM]

Instead of spending all your time cutting and peeling, just core the apple with an apple corer and slice into apple circles, much easier and quicker.

[Andrea]

Is there an alternative to using a microwave for this recipe to work?

[Jill in Atlanta]

Andrea- slice the apples/pears and saute them in the butter, sugar and cinnamon just until they soften. Bananas are great too, sliced long ways.

[anne nahm]

Thank you for this! My kids are loving this now that it is cooler in the mornings in our kitchen. They even just love warm apples with no additions, and it is quick and easy. Kudos!