Caramelized apple butter brussels sprouts

These brussels sprouts, man. I've been testing this recipe for so long, I've basically been living off brussels sprouts since August. 

As I did last year, I wanted to put together a brussels sprouts dish made on the stove that still gives you the flavor of roasting. Because we all know roasted brussels sprouts are the best brussels sprouts. You can fight me all day long on that one. 

So the trick here is in the technique. Pan-fried brussels sprouts caramelize beautifully, but ONLY if they have room to do it. I'm not saying they all absolutely need to be in a single layer, but it's gotta be as close as possible. If your pan isn't big enough, do this in batches. It won't take that much more time, and it will totally be worth it. 

The other trick is using a little apple butter-based sauce to get those caramelized bits here. The sweet apple butter + maple syrup + vinegar coats all the brussels sprouts and the heat quickly cooks it making it this sweet, punchy, sticky sauce that is so yum. You toss it on during the last few minutes of cooking, just to get the vegetable on the right side of burnt, really. 

I hope you give these a try. They're different, but in the best way.

Caramelized apple butter brussels sprouts

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★★★

2.5 from 2 reviews

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Ingredients

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• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 lbs brussels sprouts, stems and outer leaves removed and halved
• ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons apple butter
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 garlic clove, minced or grated

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Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and arrange in as single of a layer as you can get them.
2. Raise heat to medium-high and let brussels sprouts cook for 10 minutes, tossing once or twice. Make sure you don’t toss too much, because you want to give them an opportunity to brown and caramelize.
3. Meanwhile, mix together the apple butter, vinegar, maple syrup, cumin and garlic. Stir well to combine.
4. When the brussels sprouts are almost done (taste to make sure they are cooking to your liking!), add the apple butter mixture and toss to coat. Arrange everything in a single layer again, and let cook for an additional 5 minutes until caramelized.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature, with some extra flaky sea salt if desired.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes