The $2.19 ALDI Find So Good I Buy 6 at a Time (Especially for Winter)

I love eating apples all winter long, especially sautéed or baked with warm spices like cinnamon. However, most days, I'm not up for peeling and slicing them. That's why I stock up on cans of Baker's Corner Fried Apples with Cinnamon ($2.19 for a 14.5-ounce can) for instant comfort food. They are one of the seasonal products that ALDI only puts on the shelves once a year, so look for them in fall and winter and stock up. I found them in the baking section.

The first time I saw these, I thought, fried apples in a can? What about the butter? I’d been making sautéed apples to top ricotta-filled crêpes, but I’d never considered using apples from a can. A quick scan of the ingredients shows there is no fat, so calling them “fried” is more of a reference to the classic Southern dish in which apples are sautéed in butter. I’m not a big fan of canned apple pie filling, which is too sweet and gooey, but this was clearly different. So I bought a can.

Why I Love ALDI's Canned Fried Apples

These apples are peeled, sliced, and cooked until soft but not falling apart. They float in a very light syrup, and the apples and syrup are infused with cinnamon. Just drain the liquid and you’ve got cinnamon-y cooked apples, ready to eat. Hot or cold, these can stand alone as a snack or side dish. That's why I keep half a dozen cans of this pantry staple on hand at all times.

How I Use ALDI's Canned Fried Apples

These apples make a simple breakfast instantly better. A bowl of yogurt, oatmeal, or cold cereal is suddenly interesting when topped with fried apples. If you’re making pancakes or French toast, warm these up and serve them on top. Of course, the crêpes that introduced me to the glories of sautéed apples will take far less time to make when using these canned apples. Just make the crepes, fill them with ricotta and bake, then top with hot apples.

Straight out of the can, try the apples on a spinach salad with a lemony vinaigrette and some cheddar. Toss them with cooked farro or brown rice and shredded carrots to make a salad. Or use them in a simple pan sauce for pork or chicken.

If you’re up for making a batch of muffins or quickbread, drain and chop the apples and use them in place of the fruit in the recipe. For a quick crisp or cobbler for two, put the drained apples in ramekins, top with biscuit dough or granola, and bake. 

You can even whip up some quick hand pies with flattened store-bought biscuits or puff pastry rounds. Just fill the dough with apple slices, seal, and bake until golden. With a few cans of fried apples in the pantry, you’ve got lots of options, and plenty of time to spare.