Lithuanian Baked Apples Stuffed with Farmer's Cheese (Kepti Obuoliai su Varške)
Kepti obuoliai su varške is one of those recipes that barely counts as a recipe in most Lithuanian kitchens — it's what happens when you've got a bowl of apples from the garden, a pack of varškė (Lithuania's tangy, crumbly farmer's cheese) in the fridge, and twenty-five minutes before dinner. No dough, no chilling, no special equipment. Just a warm, softened apple with a slightly tart, honeyed cheese filling. It's the kind of thing that shows up as an after-school snack as often as it does dessert.
Equipment
- Baking dish or rimmed baking sheet
- Small paring knife or melon baller or grapefruit spoon (perfect for scooping out apples)
Ingredients
- 4 small apples about 100g /3.5 oz each, a firm variety that holds its shape
- 100 g (scant ½ cup / about 3½oz) farmer's cheese/ curd cheese e.g. Lithuanian varškė or Polish twarog
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
- 1 tablespoon sour cream optional, only add if your farmer's cheese is dry
- a dash of vanilla extract
- a pinch of cinnamon
- zest of ½ lemon or ¼ orange optional
- a handful of raisins optional
To Serve
- chopped nuts
- a drizzle of honey
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- In a small bowl, combine the farmer's cheese, honey (or sugar), vanilla, sour cream, cinnamon, and zest, if using. Mash and mix with a fork for a filling with a bit of texture, or blend it if you want it completely smooth — both are correct, it's just a matter of preference.
- Stir in raisins if using.
- Wash the apples but don't peel them. Slice off the top of each apple to make a lid, then use a paring knife and a teaspoon (or a melon baller) to scoop out the core and enough of the middle to leave a good-sized cavity for the filling — work carefully so you don't cut through the base or sides.
- Prick the outer skin of each apple a few times with a fork. This lets steam escape as they bake, which is what keeps the skin from splitting.
- Spoon the filling into the cavity of each apple, mounding it slightly on top.
- Arrange the apples in a baking dish and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the flesh is softened but not mushy when you pierce it with a knife and the filling is set and lightly golden on top.
- Serve warm, with a drizzle of honey and a scattering of chopped nuts.
Notes
1. Pricking the skin genuinely matters here — it's the difference between an apple that holds together and one that splits open in the oven and leaks filling everywhere.
2. Mash-with-a-fork vs. blend-smooth changes the texture, not the flavor. Fork-mashed keeps a slightly rustic, curdy texture closer to how varškė is eaten on its own; blended reads more like a light cheesecake filling. Worth trying both to see which you prefer.
3. If you can't find farmer's cheese, well-drained ricotta or cottage cheese (pulsed briefly in a food processor) is the closest substitute — drain it in a cheesecloth-lined sieve for an hour first, or the filling will be too wet.
4. Bake time depends on apple size and variety as much as your oven — start checking at 20 minutes.