Baked Apples
Baked apples are filled with the best of fall’s sweet flavors. Warm spices, oats, nuts and raisins turn the humble apple into a simple, cozy dessert the whole family will love.
Once the fall season hits, nothing tastes better than a classic recipe that brings back childhood memories. For me, baked apples were always the first dessert to hit the oven, and I loved filling the house with that cinnamon apple aroma.
But the best part is that baked apples taste just like an apple pie, with only half the effort to make. All you have to do is scoop, stuff, and bake – it’s incredibly easy. And oh, so tasty.
Choose The Right Apples For Baking
When it comes to apple recipes, remember that choosing the right ones will make all the difference. Why? Because apples all bake a bit differently.
For this recipe you want the apples to be soft on the inside while maintaining their firm shape. I use Honeycrisp apples in this recipe, but any large baking apple should work just fine, like Fuji, Gala, Cortland, Pink Lady, Jazz or Braeburns.
Baked Apples Ingredients
The filling of this recipe is similar to the topping on my berry crisp. Here’s a list of things you’ll need.
- Apples: Any of the above options will work!
- Old Fashioned Oats: Rolled oats are my ideal choice for a chunky texture.
- Nuts: Feel free to use your favorite nuts. I’m definitely a fan of pecans.
- Dried Fruit: I’m using raisins, but you can use any dried fruit.
- Coconut Sugar: My favorite unrefined sugar in granulated form.
- Spices: Nothing evokes fall better than a cinnamon and nutmeg combo.
- Butter or Ghee: Helps to bind the topping together.
- Apple Cider: To baste the apples while they’re cooking. You could also use apple juice.
- Lemon Juice: Just a squeeze over the apples keeps them fresh.
Want to make this dairy-free or vegan? Just swap the butter for vegan butter or coconut oil.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below
How To Make Baked Apples
- Create cinnamon oat mixture. Mix together the oats, pecans, dried fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, and melted butter in a bowl.
- Core the apples. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the apples. Then using a melon baller or knife, scoop a cavity that’s an inch or so wide.
- Peel the top skin. Use a paring knife to remove 1/2″ of the apple’s skin on top to prevent it from bursting.
- Fill in the good stuff. In a baking dish, stand the apples upright and stuff with the cinnamon oat mixture.
- Pour and bake. Pour the apple cider into the pan and bake for about 45-60 minutes. Remember to baste them a few times!
- Serve hot. You can pour the syrupy liquid over the apples or top it with ice cream. Keep on reading for more options.
Tips For The Best Baked Apple Recipe
- Watch the time. Each type of apple varies in terms of moisture, so keep an eye on them once they hit the 45 minute mark while baking.
- Don’t cut all the way. When coring your apple, make sure to not cut all the way through to the bottom. Otherwise your filling will spill out.
- Balance your apples. If you find that your apples are wobbly and not standing upright, slice the bottom of the apple to balance it out.
Topping And Filling Variations
For toppings, a scoop of ice cream (that turns melty delicious) on top is always a winning combo. But you can also…
- Dollop some coconut whipped cream.
- Drizzle homemade caramel sauce.
- Sprinkle an extra dash of cinnamon.
For the filling, you can…
- Mix in candied ginger.
- Swap pecans with walnuts or slivered almonds.
- Use pumpkin spice instead of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Storing And Reheating
- To Store: These will stay fresh in a container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- To Reheat: Simply pop one of your baked apples in the microwave for one minute.
- Make ahead 1-2 days before serving. While these are best fresh, you can make them ahead and then re-bake them in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
Delicious And Easy Fall Desserts
Cozy desserts are what fall is all about. So here’s a few delicious ideas to add to your list.
- Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding Mousse
- Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Spice Coconut Macaroons
- Paleo Pumpkin Bread
- Vegan Caramel Cheesecake
- Paleo Pumpkin Pie
Baked Apples Recipe Video
Want to see how I make this recipe? Watch the video below!
Easy Baked Apples
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 4 large baking apples
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup raisins, dried cranberries or other dried fruit, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons butter or ghee, melted
- 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice
- 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F. Add the oats, chopped pecans, dried fruit, coconut sugar, cinnamon nutmeg, and melted butter to a bowl. Then mix that together until it's well combined.
- Using a melon baller or paring knife, core the tops of the apples. Then scoop out some of the apple, so that you have a cavity about an inch and a half wide. Just make sure you don't core through the bottom of the apple.
- Remove about 1/2" of the skin around the top. This helps to prevent the apple skin from bursting when baking. Transfer your apples to a baking dish, standing them upright, and if they wobble you can slice a little bit off the bottom to make them more stable. Then squeeze the lemon over the top edge of the apple.
- Then stuff the apples with the cinnamon oat mixture.
- Pour the apple cider or apple juice into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake the apples for 45-60 minutes, basting a couple of times throughout with the liquid from the pan. The apples are done when they're tender when pierced with a fork.
- Spoon the syrupy liquid from the pan over the apples before serving. You can also top them with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce, or a dash of cinnamon.
Lisa's Tips
- To Store: These will stay fresh in a container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- To Reheat: Simply pop one of your baked apples in the microwave for one minute.
- Make ahead 1-2 days before serving. Then re-bake them in the oven at 350F for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
- I'm using an 8"x 8" square baking dish for 4 apples. But you could always use a larger baking dish if you double the recipe.
I will try doing this in my Instant Pot tonight.
Let us know how it turns out Sarie!
I did the baked apples with the grandkids. They came out great.! Excellend website and videos. We’ll be back!
Happy to hear you and your grandkids enjoyed these baked apples! Can’t wait to see what you make next Joe :)
Loved the idea of this, but was less excited w the outcome – it took longer to make than expected, was difficult to eat, and was not as tasty as I thought it would be. Will be sticking to apple crisps.
These are simple to make and a great treat! Another topping, but not healthy, is melted caramel.
What can I use instead of apple juice??
Delicious and easy to prepare!!
Thank you Lisa
Happy to hear you loved these baked apples!
OMG!! This is so delish! And so easy to make! The apples were soft but not mushy. It’s like a healthified apple crisp. I typically have all the ingredients on hand, so can whip this up anytime. It’ll be perfect for when we ever have guests over again – it makes the whole house smell wonderful!
This is definitely a great holiday dessert to serve :)
Amazing and delicious recipe! Easy to make and we were all so impressed with how they turned out! Definitely making again. Delicious.
Wonderful! Glad you loved these baked apples :)