Baked apples

Our baked apples are tender, sweet, and flavored with cinnamon, maple syrup, and walnuts. They are healthy and easy to make with only 6 ingredients.

Baked apples are a cozy and comforting dessert perfect for chilly fall and winter days and special occasions, such as winter holidays and Thanksgiving.

We then bake the apples in the oven for about 50 minutes to an hour until they become moist, tender, and irresistible.

You can serve the apples like this straight out of the oven, as they are already plenty delicious. You can have them for dessert, a snack, or even breakfast on top of your oatmeal pancakes or muesli.

However, to make this baked apple recipe even more unique, you can cook the apple juice released from baking with sugar to turn it into a quick homemade caramelized apple syrup.

Serve the apples with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle with the caramelized sauce. You’ll see what a delicious surprise.

Apples

Most apples are good for baking so use what you have at home. We prefer medium to large apples, so they are easier to the core and fill with the other ingredients.

If you are looking for the best apples for baking, then we recommend Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Gala apples.

If you prefer less sweet and more tart flavors, try Granny Smith, Winesap, and Cortland. Other varieties that you can use are Braeburn, Melrose, and Jonagold.

Butter

You can use regular butter or dairy-free butter. They are both excellent for this baked apple recipe.

Some recipes call for coconut oil, but that doesn’t really taste good to us in this recipe, so we don’t recommend it.

Raisins

Raisins add natural sweetness to this recipe. If you want to make this recipe without any other sweetener, add a little more raisins inside the apples.

You can substitute cranberries, dried figs (chopped), dried apricots (chopped), and dates (chopped) for raisins.

Maple syrup

We like to add a drizzle of maple syrup, although that’s not necessary. The raisins add some sweetness that is enough for a lot of people.

You can substitute maple syrup with honey, agave syrup, or any sugar, such as white, brown sugar, light-brown sugar, or coconut sugar.

Nuts

Walnuts or pecans are best for this recipe. First, chop or crush them, then add them to the cored apple with the other ingredients.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is our favorite spice for baked apples. However, if you want to make this recipe even more Christmassy, then you can also add clove, nutmeg, and ginger.

Water

Add some hot water to the baking dish before baking the apples. The water will help the apples cook and turn into a delicious apple sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Wash and dry the apples.

Cut off the stem and the seeds with a paring knife, then scoop out the core with a teaspoon.

We like to use a measuring teaspoon to do that. If you have it, you can also use an apple corer; however, don’t core the apple through the other side as we are going to stuff it.

Transfer the apples onto a baking dish, then mix raisins, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts into a small bowl.

Fill the apples with the mix, then drizzle with maple syrup.

Add a piece of butter on top, then sprinkle with more cinnamon. Finally, add the hot water to the baking tray.

Bake the apples for 50 minutes to one hour, depending on the size of the apples.

They should turn out brown and tender throughout. Before serving them, baste them with their juice using a spoon and drizzle the liquid in the baking dish into each apple a few times.

Serve the apples with some cooking juice and optionally with a few scoops of vanilla ice cream or dairy-free ice cream.

Serve these baked apples with a few vanilla ice cream or whipped cream scoops.

You can also turn the cooking juices of the apples into caramelized apple juice. To do so, transfer the liquid left over in the baking pan into a small saucepan.

Add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar and let simmer on low heat for a few minutes until the sugar melts and the juice turns into a syrup (caramelization).

Drizzle the syrup on top of the apples (or of the ice cream) with a spoon.

Hasselback baked apples

Hasselback baked apples with crips streusel on top are a pretty way of preparing your baked apples.

Each apple is cut into thin slices, then opened like a fan and filled with cinnamon and sugar.

They are topped with an oat, sugar, and nuts crumble that turns sweet and crispy as it bakes. Their texture and flavor remind us of apple crisps. They are a beautiful alternative to regular baked apples, although they require a little more work.

Check out our Hasselback baked apples.

Store leftover baked apples in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Then, reheat in the microwave for a few minutes.

Make ahead

This is a great recipe to make ahead and have throughout the week as a healthy sweet treat or to serve with your oatmeal pancakes or muesli for breakfast.

To make it healthier, reduce the amount of syrup and avoid the ice cream.

More holiday desserts

When autumn, winter, and the holiday season is upon us, we look to these favorite desserts for a sweet and cozy treat:

• Easy egg-free pancakes: a perfect brunch recipe for the holidays and special occasions
• Easy and soft cinnamon rolls with an airy brioche dough
• Carrot cake: soft and sweet with a delicious vanilla topping
• Vegan donuts: fried or baked, glazed or dipped, this is your base recipe for egg-free donuts!

If you love cooking with apples, try these sweet and savory dishes with easy-to-find ingredients:

• Red cabbage slaw with apples and candied walnuts
• Carrot raisin salad with apple and pineapples
• Easy apple cake with only 7 ingredients
• Bircher muesli with grated green apples
• Oatmeal pancakes with apple-raisin compote
• Mini apple tarts with homemade pastry dough
• Egg-free apple fritters: best when served with our 5-ingredient custard
• Hasselback apples with oats, almonds, and fragrant cinnamon sugar