Tufahije from Bosnia and Herzegovina is very similar to a deconstructed apple pie. The apples are poached, filled with a brown sugar and walnut filling, and then topped with whipped cream. MMM MMM MMM.
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Apple pie is awesome, right? Obviously. Duh. There’s no denying that at all. But sometimes I feel bad for poor, little apple pie. Everyone loves her in October… she’s the lady of the hour in November. But by the time summer rolls around, when cuffing season has ended and everyone has moved on to the sweeter summer fruits, apple pie is left in the dust.
But why? Why must we dessert (hehe pun intended) apple pie? Perhaps it’s because it suddenly seems too heavy, too rich for the beautiful summer air.
Well, surprise, people; you’re in luck. I’ve created a recipe for a deconstructed apple pie inspired by Tufahija from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this recipe, each apple is it’s own mini pie, sans crust. The apples are hollowed out and filled with a brown sugar and walnut filling that is to die for!
The classifying factor that makes this recipe similar to a classic Tufahije is the poaching of the apples. First, you will peel the apples and hollow them out. Then you’ll boil them in a water and sugar combination on the stove. Once the apples cool in the fridge, you will cook the brown sugar filling on the stove.
Then comes the best part. Spoon that wonderful, sweet, caramel filling into the hollowed apples. Viola! Your tufahija is complete! You can also top your apples with ice cream or whipped cream for a little added pizzazz.
A Word of Warning
Do not over boil your apples. The first time I made this recipe, I thought that the apples looked done, but decided to give them an extra few minutes in the pot. To my dismay, the next time I opened the lid to the pot and peered inside, all of my apples were bottomless!
If the apples cook for too long in the liquid, the bottoms will explode. This will make it very hard to fill the apples, and we DEFINITELY don’t want that wonderful caramel filling spilling all over the floor. So take some extra caution and try to steer away from cooking the apples for longer than the recommended 5 minutes on each side.
Classic Tufahije
Admittedly, this recipe for Tufahije is a bit different than the classic recipes that are popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The filling in the Tufahije tends to be a bit lighter than the filling featured here. Typically, it consists of walnuts mixed with milk to soften them. This is then combined with sugar and stuffed into the apples.
Upon experimenting with this method in my house, my family decided a few things… We didn’t like the texture of the raw walnuts, and we also wanted the filling to be warm. Instead of just heating up milk on the stove, I chose to add brown sugar, and, alas, The Foreign Fork version of Tufahije was born!
Did you make this dessert? Did you love it? Don’t forget to take a photo and share it on Facebook and Instagram and tag @TheForeignFork or hashtag #TheForeignFork. And if you liked this recipe, you’ll also like these Caramelized Bananas in Pineapple Sauce from Benin or maybe these Waffles from Belgium. Take a peek around my site, and let me know what you think in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by!
Tufahije (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Ingredients
Syrup Ingredients
- 4 granny smith apples
- 2.5 cups of sugar
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- Peel of one apple
Filling Ingredients
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped very finely
- ¼ brown sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup honey flavored greek yogurt
Instructions
- Peel each apple. Reserve the peel from one apple.
- Using a spoon (a grapefruit spoon is a great tool, if you have one!), carefully dig out a hole in the center of each apple. This process is similar to coreing the apple, but take care not to make the hole come out of both sides. Create a bowl, not a tunnel, in the apple.
- In a pot on the stove, bring the water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the rest of the syrup ingredients, and stir until the sugar completely dissolves.
- Add the peeled, hollowed apples to the syrup mixture. Cover the pot, and cook for about 5 minutes. Using tongs, flip the apples over, and cook the other side for about 5 minutes as well. Make sure that the apples are soft enough to stick a fork through, but not so soft that the bottoms will fall out.
- One cooked, remove the apples from the liquid. Allow them to cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
- Heat a separate, small pot over medium-high heat. Add all of the filling ingredients to the pot. Stir frequently until the mixture begins to bubble. Once it starts to bubble, cook for about 4-5 minutes until it thickens.
- Spoon this mixture into the hollow, chilled apples. Top with whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy!
- Leave a comment on this page letting me know what you thought of your Tufahije.
Meghan says
This sounds delicious! I’m impressed that you changed it up to sound even better!
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Thanks Meghan! The classic recipe is great, but I thought I could have some fun experimenting. It was definitely worth the risk!