Baked Apple Fries — Breaded and baked with oats, cinnamon, and sugar and dipped in caramel! Totally beats regular French fries!!
Easy Apple Dessert Idea
I’ll take apples that are breaded and baked with oats, cinnamon and sugar over regular French fries any day. Especially when I can dip them in salted caramel. I love ketchup, but caramel sauce will always win.
What I love about these ‘fries’ is that they remind me of apple pie, minus the work. Anything that can give me the taste of apple pie, but save me from actually having to make one is a bonus. Unless we’re talking about this Caramel Apple Crumble Pie that even non-pie makers can make in 10 minutes.
The apple fries have a crunchy coating that reminds me of pie crust that meets granola. It’s a combination of quick cook oats, unseasoned Panko breadcrumbs, cinnamon, and sugars. Whatever coating falls off the apples and onto the baking tray is the best tasting ‘granola’ ever.
The fries aren’t as firm as traditional French fries and the apples have the texture of apples in an apple pie, but they’re breaded for crispiness. Soft warm apples, chewy oats, and crunchy breadcrumbs are a wonderful combo and the scent while they bake is heavenly.
There’s a bold but pleasant pop of cinnamon that perfectly complements the apples. When you’re up to our eyeballs in apples, you’ve got to try these. We inhaled the entire batch in 15 minutes.
What’s in Apple Fries?
To make this caramel apple dessert recipe, you’ll need:
- Apples
- Unsalted butter
- Quick oats
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Caramel sauce (optional)
How to Make Apple Fries
Peel, core, and slice the apples. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Add the apple slices and toss to coat.
Place apples on a baking tray, spaced evenly and with as much space in between as possible. If any are stuck together, break them apart. You want the oven air to circulate freely on all pieces so they get as crispy as possible.
Bake the apple pie fries until the coating is drier, set, and lightly golden brown.
What Type of Apples Should I Use?
I used Fuji apples and recommend a firmer apple, like Fuji or Gala. Granny Smith is okay if you like tarter apples.
Can I Prep These in Advance?
No, these apple fries are best enjoyed right away as they lose their crispness over time.
Tips for Making Apple Pie Fries
If you don’t normally buy quick-cook oats, pulse old-fashioned oats in the blender for 10 seconds and now you’ve got quick-cook.
Panko breadcrumbs are sold nearby regular breadcrumbs, but they’re larger, coarser, and get crispier in the oven. I use Panko for my savory breaded recipes and swear by them for crispy results.
For a twist, add pumpkin pie spice, ginger, nutmeg or your favorite warming spices. There’s so much big flavor packed into the little fries that they don’t need dip, but The Best and Easiest Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce doesn’t hurt. Twist my arm.
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Baked Apple Pie Fries
Ingredients
- 3 large or 4 medium apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch wide strips (I used Fuji and recommend a firmer apple like Fuji or Gala. Granny Smith is okay if you like tarter apples)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (3/4 of 1 stick)
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats, pulse whole-rolled for 10 seconds in a blender to get quick-cook
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- optional pinches of pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, ginger, etc., to taste
- caramel sauce, optional for dipping (The Best and Easiest Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat, parchment, or spray with cooking spray.
- Peel, slice and core apples into 1/4-inch wide segments. Error on slicing apples thinner rather than thicker side for best results. Place apples in a large bowl; set aside.
- In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Pour butter over apples and toss to combine with a soft-tipped spatula; set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, combine all remaining ingredients (except caramel sauce) and stir to combine.
- Add apples to the coating mixture and toss lightly but thoroughly with a spatula to coat well.
- Place apples on prepared baking tray, spaced evenly and with as much space in between as possible. If any are stuck together, break them apart. You want the oven air to circulate freely on all pieces so they get as crispy as possible. If there’s a bit of extra coating mixture in the bottom of the bowl, feel free to sprinkle it over the apples. It bakes up into delicious crunchy ‘granola’.
- Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until coating is drier, set, and lightly golden brown. Start watching closely after 15 minutes and watch so the undersides don’t become overly browned or burn. The moisture content in the apples will dictate baking time and juicier apples will take longer to bake; bake until your apples seem done without watching the clock. The fries are not ‘firm’ like French fries, and the texture is more like the apples you’d find in an apple pie, but breaded.
- Fries are best warm, fresh, and served with caramel sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Apple Fritter Bread — Soft, fluffy bread that’s stuffed AND topped with apples, cinnamon, and sugar!! Like apple fritters in bread form!! Best apple bread EVER!
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OH MY GOODNESS. If i wasn’t the queen of apple consumption already – and as if I needed a reason to eat more of them. ;) The idea of veggie fries doesn’t do much for me, but these are brilliant! I can’t wait to try them / eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. :)
okay so now I’m even more excited for the start of apple season – what a genius idea Averie
Thanks, Heather! :)
This looks like my kind of fry! I have a TON of apples I need to use up, so these may be on the menu around here soon!
Glad you have lots of apples to use!
These actually make me think of apple crisp fries! But “apple pie fries” certainly has a better ring to it. I love that these are quick to make and they’d make a great dessert for a party!
Such a creative idea! Love these apple pie fries, Averie!
These are such a good idea! I would have loved these as an after school snack as a kid too.
My daughter loved them :)
Wow, Averie! These look amazing! Such a creative recipe! And I’ll take caramel sauce over ketchup any day! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Gayle!
AMAZING. These look absolutely amazing!
Wow these look fantastic! What a fun treat. :) I’m still in summer mode over here, but filing these away for when autumn arrives.
With my family, I could bake these all day, and have noting to put on the plate at the end. They will disappear quickly.
Debbie, I’m the same! The more I baked, the faster they ate them. GONE, refill, bake more, eat, repeat!
These are more than a little bit amazing and brilliant, Averie! And I love putting ketchup and salted caramel on the same plane. Because salted caramel wins every time, as a condiment and as a food! I could eat it 24/7.
I love condiments and ketchup is a fave but nothing can touch salted caramel :)
I’ve never seen anything like this before–such a creative way to use apples and the perfect vehicle for caramel sauce!! This reminds me of a sweet version of your breaded and baked veggies.
This reminds me of a sweet version of your breaded and baked veggies. <--- It is!! I had extra Panko, lots of apples, and didn't want to make (another) apple crumble, crisp, dessert in a pan, etc. and these came to me on a run one day!
Gah these sound incredible!!
These look insanely good…I love apple desserts…how does your mind work???…your recipes are so original and your pictures make it impossible to not want to drop everything to make these…Can’t wait to try.
Thanks, Lisa, for the compliments!! :) After making breaded zucchini tater tots, breaded chickpeas, and a few other savory breaded veggie recipes, I had extra Panko on hand, lots of apples, and didn’t want to make (another) apple crumble, crisp, dessert in a pan, etc. and these came to me on a run one day!
Whoa! Totally intriguing and original recipe…sounds tasty too:)
Thanks for the compliments!
These apple pie fries looks so tasty! I feel like they will becamemy favourite dessert that fall :)
Great – LMK if you try them!