I love apples and eat one almost every day, but tufahije is a special treat…one you have to try if you’ve never had this delectable dessert before. They’re festive, full of flavor, and totally unforgettable.
They’re simple yet elegant, and trust me, they’ll be a huge hit at any party. I made them once and brought them to a Christmas party at the doctors’ office where I worked, and they were gone in minutes. Everyone was raving over them. If you decorate with red and green during the holidays, these scrumptious nut-filled apples will not only satisfy your sweet tooth, but they’ll also match perfectly with your holiday decor.
What’s great is that these apples are a snap to make. They’re simple and easy, and they also require very few ingredients. The slight sweetness of the apples along with the nutty cream are a match made in heaven! I can’t begin to tell you how delicious these are. I’ll guess you’ll just have to try them for yourself. Okay, are you ready to get started? Here’s how you do it:
Tufahije (Nut-Filled Apples)
Ingredients:
- 7 apples, peeled and cored (Larger-sized apples work better. We always use Golden Delicious apples because they hold up better than other kinds of apples. )
- 1 pkg. Dream Whip
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- (Optional) 1 pkg (.35 oz.) Dr. Oetker’s “Whip It” Stabilizer for Whipping Cream (If you’re serving these apples to a large group, you won’t need the stabilizer. I used it because with only two of us eating the apples, it will take us several days to eat them. The stabilizer will help keep the whipped cream stiff while it’s in the refrigerator all that time.)
- sugar (approximately 1 cup)
- 2 tbsp. vanilla sugar
- walnuts, about 1 cup, chopped finely
- water
- maraschino cherries
Note: This recipe is usually prepared with kajmak instead of whipped cream. If you want to make a more authentic tufahije, follow the recipe on that page I just linked you to. There’s also an imitation recipe on that page that is much quicker.
But instead of using kajmak, we make our tufahije with whipped cream. We just use a package of Dream Whip that we mixed with milk, vanilla, and whipped cream stabilizer to make our whipped cream, but you can also use thawed Cool Whip or make your own by using whipping cream.
Instructions:
- Chop and/or grind your walnuts with a chopper or blender. One cup should be enough, but you can use more or less if you like.
- Peel and core your apples.
- To make your apples stand up better, take a knife and cut some of the fruit off the bottom of the apple.
- The next step is to make a pot of sugar water. Fill up a large pot with enough water to cover the apples about two-thirds of the way. Add sugar to the water. How much sugar you add is up to you. We didn’t want our apples to be too sweet so Kemal used about 1 cup of sugar.
- Heat the sugar water and mix it well.
- Right before the water starts boiling, place the apples in the hot sugar water. When the water starts boiling, turn the temperature down to medium.
- Every two minutes, poke an apple with a toothpick or fork to see if it’s soft. As soon as the apples start softening up a little bit, the apples are done. You don’t want to overcook them or else they’ll fall apart and not stand up nicely.
- Remove the apples from the water using a slotted spoon to drain the water off them. Place them on a serving dish. Refrigerate them so they can cool.
- Now you will make your whipped cream. I made the Dream Whip according the box’s instructions by adding 1/2 cup milk and 1 tsp. vanilla to the Dream Whip, as well as adding 1 pkg. of whipped cream stabilizer if you decide you want to use it. You want to beat the mixture until it’s light and fluffy.
- When the whipped cream is done, add about 2 tbsp. of vanilla sugar to the whipped cream and mix it together. If you don’t have vanilla sugar on hand, just add more vanilla when you make your Dream Whip and then add regular sugar to the whipped cream when it’s done.
- Now you add the walnuts to the whipped cream and stir until blended.
- After the apples have cooled, Take a spoon and stuff the apples with the nut-filled whipped cream.
- Garnish the top of the whipped cream with a maraschino cherry and then refrigerate until you’re ready to serve them.
