Apple Clafoutis Recipe

If you're looking for a dessert that looks impressive, comes together quickly, and tastes delicious, this apple clafoutis recipe from registered dietitian and recipe developer Jaime Shelbert will become your new go-to. Made from simple pantry ingredients, you only need less than an hour to whip up a dessert that looks a lot fancier than it really is.

What is a clafoutis? It's a traditional French dessert consisting of fruit baked in a thick batter that, according to Joy of Baking, originated in the region of Limousin and was traditionally made with the first fresh cherries of the season. While many traditional recipes for clafoutis do use cherries, if you have the batter, some fruit, and the right method of preparation, it's a clafoutis. No cherries needed! "I love that this recipe comes together with simple pantry staples and a few apples," Shelbert says. "It sounds fancy but no one has to know how easy it is. It's perfect for fall during apple season!"

As mentioned above, all you really need are some basic pantry staples and some apples. But what kind of apples would work well in this recipe? "I used Granny Smith because they stand up to baking and don't become mushy," says Shelbert. "Their tart flavor also balances well with the sugar." She also recommends Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, and Jonagold apples.

Other than suitable baking apples, you'll need four large eggs, brown sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, milk, half and half, vanilla extract, and butter, along with some optional sifted powdered sugar for garnishing.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. This is important, as baking requires a hot oven at the start of the baking process. Don't put your clafoutis in an oven that is still heating up — preheating before anything else sets you up for success.

Now, to make the clafoutis batter, begin by whisking the eggs and ½ cup of brown sugar in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk in the salt and flour until combined, and then add the milk, half and half, and vanilla extract. Set the batter aside.

Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, and add the remaining brown sugar and two teaspoons of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for roughly two minutes. Add the apples and cinnamon, and cook until the apples are heated and cooked all the way through, but still have some snap to them, or about 12 to 15 minutes. "The trickiest part is cooking the apples just right," says Shelbert. "You don't want them soggy, mushy or too raw. Tender crisp is what you're going for here." Remove the apples and sauce from the skillet, and wipe the skillet down.

Butter the bottom and sides of the skillet, and pour in the batter. Spoon the cooked apples into the batter using a slotted spoon while saving the sauce, and transfer the skillet to the oven to bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until the clafoutis is golden and set. If you don't have an oven safe skillet, don't worry! According to Shelbert, it's totally fine to cook the apples and sauce in whatever skillet you have and bake the clafoutis in an appropriately-sized baking dish. Serve the clafoutis warm with the reserved sauce, and then you're ready to enjoy this easy but impressive dessert!