Butter Rum Apples

This easy and delicious butter rum apples recipe is a favorite of my personal chef clients. The slightly sweet, slightly boozy fruit pair well with vanilla ice cream or homemade French toast (recipe coming soon). I like to use Honeycrisp apples but any variety will do. Add a pear in place of an apple for more variety in taste, texture, and nutrition.

Recipe created by Hannah K. Thompson, RDN

Serves 4 as a topping
2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced or substitute 1 pear for 1 apple
5 tbsp butter, divided
1/2 c white rum
1/4 c water
1-2 Tbsp raw sugar or 1 tbsp brown sugar
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch salt (omit if low sodium)
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To thicken sauce:
1 tsp Cornstarch
2.5 Tbsp orange juice

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small saucepan and cover with a lid, reserving 1 Tbsp butter. Turn heat to medium high and allow mixture to come to a boil. Remove lid and gently stir to combine. Boil for 5 minutes on medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and Allow to gently simmer until fruit is soft and liquid is reduced by half. This should take about 40 min. Stir every so often and reduce heat if liquid is evaporating too quickly.

Stir in 1 Tbsp butter. Then, thicken the sauce.

Make a cornstarch slurry by completely dissolving the cornstarch into the orange juice (I use my fingers to mix). Slowly add slurry to bubbling fruit on stove, stirring the fruit with a wooden spoon as you pour in the slurry. Allow mixture to gently boil a few more minutes until thick and a nice saucy consistency. Taste and adjust. Serve over French toast or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!