Apple Halwa, Fig Galette, and More: Four Delicious Winter Fruit Desserts That Are Easy to Make

Winters are about huddling under comforters and watching movies with a hot cup of your favorite beverage. It’s also the time for some delicious fruits, and here are a few ways to introduce them to your desserts!

Winter may be frozen and harsh, but it brings with it a bounty of delicious produce available in local markets, ready to rejuvenate your senses. Incorporating these winter fruits into dessert recipes is super easy.

Making desserts with winter fruits is a good idea because you will find the freshest and more flavorful produce that will only enhance the taste of what you cook. Most winter fruits are cooked with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg that have a warming effect, which can cozy up your insides. And lastly, choosing seasonal fruits supports local agriculture and is a sustainable choice compared to off-season fruits and frozen produce.

There's a host of recipes, each more delicious than the other that will tempt you to take two, even three helpings. While some of these recipes are fairly easy, others might require patience and technique. If your first try doesn't seem good enough, don't fret because practice makes the cook perfect.

Orange Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

• 8-10 thinly sliced oranges with skin
• Zest of one orange
• 6 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups refined flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¾ cup olive oil
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup yogurt
• ¼ fresh orange juice

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and brush your cake tin with oil or butter.
• Then evenly spread a layer of soft brown sugar and artfully arrange the sliced oranges on top of it.
• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and orange zest.
• Mix the olive oil and sugar in another bowl, followed by eggs, yogurt and orange juice.
• Gently fold the wet ingredients into the flour.
• Transfer this batter into the cake tin without displacing the orange slices.
• Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
• Let the cake cool for an hour or so before you release it from the pan.

Strawberry Cobbler

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of chopped strawberries
• 1 cup of sugar
• 8 tbsp of butter
• 1 ½ cup flour
• 2 ½ tbsp baking powder
• 1 ¼ cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ salt

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• In a mixing bowl add the chopped strawberries and half cup of sugar. Mix well. Set them aside to release their juices.
• Add all of the butter in a baking dish and place it in the oven to melt.
• In another bowl, take flour, baking powder, milk, vanilla extract, the remaining half cup of sugar, and salt. Create a lump free batter.
• Remove the baking dish and first ladle a layer of batter, followed by the strawberries. Then spoon the rest of the mixture roughly on the top layer.
• Place this in the oven for an hour till the top layer is brown and the strawberries are bubbling.
• Serve it with whipped cream.

Apple Halwa

Ingredients:

• 1 ⅕ cups of grated apples
• 1 tbsp of ghee
• ¼ cup of sugar or jaggery
• ¼ cinnamon powder
• ¼ tsp cardamom powder
• A pinch of nutmeg powder
• Slivered almonds and crushed walnuts for garnish

Instructions:

• Ensure that you use grated apples and not pureed ones to avoid a porridge-like consistency.
• Heat the ghee and add the grated apples.
• Cook the apples till they are soft and mushy. Ensure that all the water evaporates.
• Now add your sugar or jaggery along with the spice powders.
• The sugar will melt and as you keep mixing, your apples will start to resemble a halwa.
• Continue cooking for 5 more minutes.
• Serve warm with a garnish of almonds or your choice of nuts.

Fig Galette

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cold butter cut into cubes
• 2 cups flour
• 1-2 tbsp milk
• ¼ cup orange marmalade
• 2 cups of chopped figs
• 2 tbsp sugar

Instructions:

• Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
• Then slowly incorporate the cold butter into the flour. The heat from your fingers will soften it and if you work the flour for long enough, you will get a sandy texture.
• Add the milk and knead it till it comes together.
• Roll it out into discs, cover in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• After this, preheat the oven at 375 F.
• Roll out the pastry dough as big as a naan and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking tray.
• Leave a 2 inch border and smear the marmalade on it. Then arrange the figs and sprinkle sugar over them.
• Fold the crust over the fruit, tuck them in properly.
• Transfer the plate to the oven and bake at 375 F for 45 minutes.
• Remove and let it cool before you dig in.