Every apple season, these little apple bites are one of my favourite cookies to make.

Kuglice od jabuka are soft, naturally refreshing, not overly sweet, and full of real apple flavour. The combination of caramelized apples, cinnamon, raisins, walnuts and coconut creates a simple cookie with a surprisingly deep flavour.

They are also a popular choice during Lent, since they are naturally made without eggs, butter, milk, or other animal products.

This is one of those recipes that proves you don’t need a long list of ingredients to make something delicious. A few simple ingredients, prepared well, turn into a beautiful little cookie that is perfect for apple season, holiday cookie trays, or simply with a cup of coffee or tea.

Ingredients

• 1 kg Granny Smith apples
• 200 g sugar
• 100 g ground walnuts
• 100 g cranberries
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 100 g shredded coconut for rolling

Instructions

1. Prepare the apples

Wash, peel, and grate the apples.

Place the grated apples in a colander and allow them to drain well. You do not need to squeeze them completely dry, but removing some of the excess liquid will help the mixture cook down faster.

2. Caramelize the sugar

Place the sugar in a wide pan over medium heat.

Allow the sugar to melt gradually, watching it carefully. Stir or gently move the pan as needed to melt the sugar evenly.

The caramel should become a deep golden amber colour. Do not let it become dark brown or burnt, because burnt caramel will taste bitter.

Important: Caramelized sugar is extremely hot. The apples contain a lot of water, so adding them to hot caramel will cause vigorous bubbling and steam. Reduce the heat and add the grated apples carefully and gradually, keeping your hands and face away from the pan.

3. Cook the apples

Add the drained grated apples to the caramel and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently.

Continue cooking until the apples soften, and almost all of the excess liquid has evaporated. The mixture should become thick enough to hold together rather than looking watery.

4. Add the cinnamon and cranberries 

While the mixture is still hot, add the cinnamon and cranberries.

Mix well and cook for another minute or two.

Adding the cranberries while the apple mixture is hot allows them to soften and absorb some of the caramelized apple flavour.

5. Add the walnuts

Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool until warm, not piping hot.

Roast the walnuts, grind the walnuts, and add to the apple mixture. Mix just until everything is evenly combined.

6. Shape the apple balls

Allow the mixture to cool enough to handle.

Take small portions of the mixture and roll them between your palms to form small balls.

Roll each ball generously in shredded coconut.

7. Chill

Place the finished apple bites in a covered container and refrigerate until completely chilled and firm.

Serve cold or slightly chilled.

Tips

• Granny Smith apples work beautifully because their natural tartness balances the caramel and sugar.
• Do not burn the caramel. A dark, burnt caramel will make the entire cookie bitter.
• Cook the apples until the mixture is genuinely thick. If too much liquid remains, the balls will be difficult to shape.
• Let the mixture cool before adding the walnuts so the walnuts keep their flavour and texture.
• The finished balls should be small, tender, and moist inside—not dry.
• Store them covered in the refrigerator.

Why I Love These Cookies

I love recipes like this because they don’t need to be complicated to be memorable. The apple is still the star, while cinnamon, caramel, raisins, walnuts and coconut each add something small to the final flavour.

They are especially wonderful during apple season, when a simple apple can become something completely different with just a little patience.

And for anyone looking for a naturally dairy-free and egg-free cookie, these little apple bites are a delicious option.

Kuglice od jabuka

Svake jeseni, kada počne sezona jabuka, kuglice od jabuka su jedni od mojih omiljenih kolačića.

Mekane su, osvežavajuće, nisu preslatke i zaista se oseća ukus jabuke. Kombinacija karamelizovanih jabuka, cimeta, suvog grožđa, oraha i kokosa daje jednostavnom kolaču predivan i bogat ukus.

Ovo su takođe veoma popularni kolačići tokom posta, jer se prave bez jaja, mleka, putera i drugih namirnica životinjskog porekla.

Volim ovakve recepte jer pokazuju da nije potrebno mnogo sastojaka da bi se napravilo nešto zaista ukusno. Nekoliko jednostavnih sastojaka, uz malo strpljenja, pretvaraju se u male, mirisne kuglice koje su savršene za sezonu jabuka, prazničnu tacnu sa kolačima ili jednostavno uz kafu ili čaj.

Sastojci

• 1 kg Granny Smith jabuka
• 200 g šećera
• 100 g mlevenih oraha
• 100 g suvih brusnica
• 100 g kokosa za valjanje
• 1 kašičica mlevenog cimeta

Priprema

1. Pripremite jabuke

Operite i oljuštite jabuke, pa ih izrendajte.

Stavite rendane jabuke u cediljku i ostavite da se dobro ocede. Nije potrebno potpuno ih iscediti, ali je važno ukloniti deo viška tečnosti kako bi se jabuke brže ukuvale.

2. Karamelizujte šećer

Stavite šećer u širi tiganj ili šerpu i zagrevajte na srednjoj temperaturi.

Ostavite šećer da se postepeno otopi i pažljivo ga pratite. Po potrebi lagano pomerajte tiganj kako bi se šećer ravnomerno otopio.

Karamel treba da bude zlatno-ćilibarne boje. Nemojte dozvoliti da postane veoma taman ili zagori, jer će tada imati gorak ukus.

Važno: Karamel je veoma vruć. Jabuke sadrže dosta vode, pa će prilikom dodavanja u vruć karamel doći do veoma jakog ključanja i stvaranja pare. Smanjite temperaturu i pažljivo, postepeno dodajte rendane jabuke, držeći ruke i lice dalje od tiganja.

3. Ukuvajte jabuke

Dodajte oceđene rendane jabuke u karamel i kuvajte na srednjoj temperaturi uz često mešanje.

Kuvajte dok jabuke ne omekšaju i skoro sva tečnost ne ispari. Smesa treba da bude gusta i kompaktna, a ne vodena.

4. Dodajte cimet i suvo grožđe

Dok je smesa još vrela, dodajte cimet i suve brusnice.

Dobro promešajte i kuvajte još minut-dva.

Kada se suve brusnice dodaju u vrelu smesu od jabuka, omekšaće i upiti deo ukusa karamela i jabuka.

5. Dodajte orahe

Sklonite smesu sa šporeta i ostavite da se prohladi tako da bude topla, ali ne vrela.

Dodajte mlevene orahe i promešajte samo toliko da se sve sjedini.

6. Oblikujte kuglice

Ostavite smesu da se dovoljno ohladi kako biste mogli da je oblikujete rukama.

Uzimajte male količine smese i između dlanova oblikujte male kuglice.

Svaku kuglicu dobro uvaljajte u kokos.

7. Ohladite

Gotove kuglice stavite u poklopljenu posudu i ostavite u frižideru da se potpuno ohlade i stegnu.

Poslužite hladne ili blago rashlađene.

Saveti

• Granny Smith jabuke su odličan izbor jer njihova prirodna kiselost lepo balansira šećer i karamel.
• Pazite da ne zagorite šećer. Pregoreo karamel će dati gorak ukus celom kolaču.
• Jabuke treba dobro ukuvati. Ako ostane previše tečnosti, kuglice će biti teške za oblikovanje.
• Pre dodavanja oraha ostavite smesu da se malo prohladi.
• Kuglice treba da budu mekane i sočne iznutra, a ne suve.
• Čuvajte ih poklopljene u frižideru.

Zašto volim ove kuglice

Volim recepte poput ovog jer ne moraju da budu komplikovani da bi ostali u sećanju. Jabuka je i dalje glavni ukus, dok cimet, karamel, suvo grožđe, orasi i kokos dodaju svoje male, ali važne note.

Posebno su lepe tokom sezone jabuka, kada od jednog jednostavnog voća uz malo strpljenja možete napraviti potpuno drugačiji kolač.

A ako tražite kolač bez mleka, putera i jaja, ove male kuglice od jabuka su veoma ukusna opcija.