I don’t always trust recipes I find on Pinterest. I’m familiar with the ways photographers manipulate food for the sake of a good photo, and I’ve seen enough hilarious examples of those before me who have tried to recreate Pinterest recipes and failed spectacularly. (My favorite from this list is the hedgehog cake.)
But when I came across one of the popular posts of the moment—apple “nachos”—I thought it seemed like the real deal, like it would turn out exactly like the photos of it online. After making a couple versions, I’m convinced it’s hard to mess up what really boils down to sliced apples and sweet toppings. And best of all, its apple base makes it a fun and inventive Rosh Hashanah appetizer or dessert, depending on what you choose for toppings.
I stayed conservative with the toppings in this version. Simply drizzle the apple slices with honey and sprinkle some chocolate chips and spiced nuts over the top. Adjust the toppings to your liking and you’ve got a kid-friendly holiday dessert that will excite and impress your guests.
Apple “Nachos”
Serves 4 to 6
2 apples, sliced thin
2 tablespoons honey, plus more for drizzling
½ cup walnuts, chopped roughly
⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon five-spice powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon light brown sugar
Pinch of fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In medium bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons honey into 2 cups water. Add apple slices and submerge. (This soak will prevent the apples from discoloring.) Set aside while making spiced nuts.
2. In small skillet, simmer granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon water until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside. In small bowl, combine cinnamon, five-spice powder, salt and brown sugar.
3. Add nuts to cooled skillet and toss until evenly coated with simple syrup. Add nuts to bowl with spice mixture and toss until evenly coated. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until dry, about 20 minutes, rotating baking sheet every 10 minutes.
4. Drain apple slices and transfer to serving platter. Drizzle honey over top, then sprinkle spiced nuts and chocolate chips over top. Serve.
