Connie’s notes
Baked apple spring rolls are so good and so darn picture-pretty when drizzled with melted dark chocolate and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Yes, they are spring rolls. In Asia, spring rolls are either fresh or fried. I understand that in the northern hemisphere, fried spring rolls are called “egg rolls” even though there is no egg in the spring roll wrapper. I’ve seen videos of spring rolls dipped in egg before frying — something not done in Asia — a case of Westerners modifying an Asian recipe by turning it greasier then declaring that Asian food is greasy. Just wow, eh?
But, anyway…that explains why baked spring rolls recipes started sprouting on the web — an obvious attempt to create a low fat version of a traditionally deep-fried favorite.
Well, you simply can’t make spring roll wrapper crispy unless it is cooked with oil. In the case of my baked apple spring rolls, coating the uncooked spring rolls with melted butter did the job well.
Now, just so you don’t panic. During baking, some of the juices from the filling will seep out but don’t worry. The sugar will caramelize and even if the underside of the spring rolls get soaked with the juices, the caramelization will ensure that even the undersides are crisp rather than soggy.
And to make your baked apple spring rolls even more appetizing, drizzle with melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Now, just so you don’t panic. During baking, some of the juices from the filling will seep out but don’t worry. The sugar will caramelize and even if the underside of the spring rolls get soaked with the juices, the caramelization will ensure that even the undersides are crisp rather than soggy.
And to make your baked apple spring rolls even more appetizing, drizzle with melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.Ingredients
- 2 Granny Smith apples
- juice of ¼ lemon
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 12 medium spring roll wrappers separated
- egg wash
- dark chocolate melted (optional)
- powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Line a baking sheet with non-stick paper.
- Peel and core the apple. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
- In a bowl, toss the apple with the kalamansi juice. Add the flour, toss and make sure that every piece of the apple is coated well. The flour will make the apple juice syrupy during baking.
- Add the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss to blend.
- Fill each wrapper with about two tablespoons of the filling. Wrap and seal well using the egg wash.
- Arrange the spring rolls on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle each one with melted butter.
- Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve by themselves or, for a bit of indulgence, drizzle melted dark chocolate and sprinkle powdered sugar over the baked apple spring rolls before serving.
Butterscotch cheesecake brownies
