Have you ever made panna cotta? This Caramel Apple Panna Cotta is easier to make than you might think, but the presentation is impressive enough for a holiday dessert or special occasion. It’s one of my favorite recipes I’ve developed in a long time, and I can’t wait for you to try it! This one is similar to my recipe for Lemon Panna Cotta with Blueberries, but instead of lemons, it’s a cinnamon panna cotta recipe with subtle spice infused into the creamy texture before being topped with a shortcut apple sauce and caramel. Keep reading for the step-by-step instructions, or scroll to the end to get straight to the apple panna cotta recipe.
More dessert ideas like this apple panna cotta recipe
- Lemon Panna Cotta with Blueberries
- Honey-Orange Crème Brûlée with Raspberries (Lighter Creme Brulee Recipe)
- Mini Chocolate Pies (Easy Individual Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe)
- Mini Coconut Cream Pies
- Mini Key Lime Pie Bites
- Instant Pot Mini Cheesecake Bites
- Instant Pot Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake Bites (mini cinnamon roll cheesecakes)
- Mini Air Fryer Cherry Hand Pies
- Air Fryer Blueberry Hand Pies (blueberry mini pies)
- Nutella Hand Pies (air fryer chocolate hand pie recipe)
- Air Fryer Mini Pumpkin Hand Pies (mini pumpkin pie bites)
- Coquito Balls (Caribbean-Style Coconut Rum Balls)
- Instant Pot Brownie Bites recipe
- Three-Ingredient Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegan Fudge Bites
What you need to make this apple and cinnamon panna cotta recipe
Here is what you’ll need to make this apple cinnamon panna cotta:
- Neutral flavored nonstick cooking spray
- 1 1/4 cups half-and-half, divided
- 1 (0.25-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (21-ounce) can apple pie filling, apples coarsely chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/3 cup caramel sauce, or more to taste
- 6 (6-ounce) ramekins
- Small mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cooking spoons, whisks
- Saucepan
- Plastic wrap
- Knife
- Small serving dishes
How to make Caramel Apple Panna Cotta
Panna cotta is surprisingly easy to make, yet is SO good, and presents really well for a special occasion or holiday dinner. Here are step-by-step photos and tips for making this apple panna cotta recipe.
To make this cinnamon panna cotta recipe, start by preparing the gelatin mixture that will give your panna cotta it’s signature hold and jiggle. To do this, pour 1/4 cup of the half-and-half into a small bowl and sprinkle unflavored gelatin over the top. Let it sit for 5 minutes so the gelatin can soften.
After five minutes, mix the gelatin mixture well, then set it aside.
Next, stir together the heavy cream, the remaining 1 cup of half-and-half, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, stirring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved completely.
Heat the mixture slowly until it is just about to boil (about 15-20 minutes). Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Remove the cinnamon sticks and set them aside temporarily. Whisk the gelatin mixture and vanilla extract into the cream mixture until well blended and the gelatin is completely dissolved. Return the cinnamon sticks to the cream mixture and keep lightly whisking until the mixture comes close to room temperature (this will take about 10 minutes). This is an important step that will prevent the gelatin and cream from separating while the cinnamon panna cotta is setting. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks.
Spray six 6-ounce ramekins with a neutral-flavored nonstick cooking spray. Divide the cream mixture into the ramekins, about 1/2 cup per portion. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, which will take about 4 hours. You can also let them chill overnight if you’d like to make your Caramel Apple Panna Cotta in advance.
While the panna cotta is chilling, it’s time to create your apple topping. Mix coarsely chopped apple pie filling, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together in a bowl and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the Caramel Apple Panna Cotta recipe. FYI, adding brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice is a great hack for upgrading canned apple pie filling to make it taste more like homemade for any recipe.
When you’re ready to serve, run a knife around the inside edges of the ramekin to remove the cinnamon panna cotta from the ramekins. The knife might not be necessary if you can see that the panna cotta is easily sliding within the ramekin. Contrarily, if it seems like the panna cotta isn’t coming loose easily, carefully dip each ramekin into a bowl of hot water for a few seconds to aid in the process. Carefully invert the ramekins onto serving plates, tapping and jiggling the ramekin a bit if needed for the panna cotta to come loose.
Alternatively, you can also serve panna cotta directly in the ramekins if there is room to still add the toppings. For my oldest’s bougie nightclub themed 13th birthday party, I made smaller portions of panna cotta in small plastic treat cups and allowed them to set at an angle so we could add toppings directly into the cups for easy serving at the party.
Once the cinnamon panna cotta is on the serving plates, top with the apple mixture…
… then drizzle with the caramel sauce.
Isn’t it pretty?
Words can’t describe how light, smooth, and creamy this cinnamon panna cotta comes out… and it balances so deliciously with the spice and richness of the apple and caramel topping.
Here’s the Caramel Apple Panna Cotta recipe! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Caramel Apple Panna Cotta
This Caramel Apple Panna Cotta recipe is easier to make than you might think, but the presentation is impressive enough for a holiday dessert or special occasion. It's a cinnamon panna cotta recipe with subtle spice infused into the creamy texture before being topped with a shortcut apple sauce and caramel.
Ingredients
- Neutral flavored nonstick cooking spray
- 1 1/4 cups half-and-half, divided
- 1 (0.25-ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (21-ounce) can apple pie filling, apples coarsely chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/3 cup caramel sauce, or more to taste
Instructions
- Spray six 6-ounce ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pour 1/4 cup of the half-and-half in a small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Let sit for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin; mix well. Set aside.
- Stir together the heavy cream, the remaining 1 cup half-and-half, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Add the cinnamon sticks, stirring frequently, until sugar has dissolved completely. Heat mixture slowly until it is just about to boil, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Remove the cinnamon sticks and set aside. Whisk gelatin mixture and vanilla extract into the cream mixture until well blended and gelatin is completely dissolved. Return the cinnamon sticks to the cream mixture and keep lightly whisking until the mixture comes close to room temperature, about 10 minutes (this will prevent the gelatin and cream from separating while the panna cotta is setting). Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks.
- Divide mixture into ramekins, about 1/2 cup per portion. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours (or overnight).
- While the panna cotta is chilling, mix the apple pie filling, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Run a knife around the inside edges of the ramekin to remove panna cotta from the ramekins (the knife might not be necessary if you can see that the panna cotta is easily sliding within the ramekin). If it seems like it isn't coming loose easily, carefully dip each ramekin into a bowl of hot water for a few seconds. Carefully invert onto serving plates, tap, and jiggle the ramekin a bit if needed for the panna cotta to come loose.
- Top with the apple mixture and drizzle with caramel sauce.
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