Spiced Apple and Cranberry on Crispy Phyllo makes a light and delicious dessert after a heavy dinner or lunch. I love baking with phyllo because of the wonderful crispness it gives to the baked products
It is also a great alternative to puff pastry, especially if you are watching your weight or for any health reasons. In fact it is basically made with flour and water, there are no trans fats or saturated fats
This is a dessert or snack best eaten immediately after baking, so try to get your pastries into the oven at least 10-15 minutes before you are ready to serve it.
Making the Spiced Apple and Cranberry on Crispy Phyllo
Spiced Apple and Cranberry on Crispy Phyllo is a really simple dessert to prepare, taking just 5 minutes to prep and 10 minutes in the oven. And it has the most heavenly aroma of warm spicy cinnamon and apple when baking. Thinly sliced apple is tossed with cranberries in a blend of freshly squeezed orange juice and cinnamon. It is then placed on 2 or 3 sheets of phylo squares and baked until the pastry is golden and crispy and the apples soft and chewy. You can serve it with a small dollop of yoghurt or ice cream if you like. Oh, yes do not forget a light sprinkling of sugar, just to add a touch of sweetness.
A few tips for perfect phyllo
- Try to work in a draught free area with the pastry as it tends to dry out fairly quickly
- Make sure to keep unused phyllo covered at all times
- Try to use at least 3 sheets for your baked dish, this ensures a sturdier finished product
- Brush each layer of the pastry with melted butter or spray each layer with non stick cooking spray before baking, to help keep the layers separate when baking.
- Remember this pastry bakes quite fast, about 10 minutes, so watch as it bakes to prevent it from burning
This is a really great pastry to work with as it can be shaped into decorative parcels, pastry cases or just cut into squares like this recipe, follow these tips and you will always have a perfect dessert or savoury snack.
Spiced Apple and Cranberry on Crispy Phyllo
Ingredients
- 3 Sheets of phyllo at room temperature
- 20 ml melted butter or margarine
- 3 apples cut into 3mm thin slices
- 125 ml cranberries
- 250 ml of freshly squeezed orange juice
- 5 ml ground cinnamon
- pinch of ground nutmeg optional
- pinch of ground cloves optional
- yoghurt or ice- cream to serve
Instructions
- Lay 3 layers of phyllo on a baking sheet and cut into squares
- Brush each layer with melted margarine or spray with cooking spray
- Squeeze 250ml orange juice.Add cinnamon, and ground nutmeg and cloves if using
- Soak apple slices and cranberries for about 5 minutes in the orange juice and cinnamon blend.
- Remove the apples and cranberries from the juice and lay on the phyllo pastry. Reserve the juice to pour on the pastry after baking
- Bake for 10-12 minutes at 160°C just until the pastry is golden brown and the apples are slightly soft.
- Serve with yoghurt or ice-cream
