These Baked Apples are such a cozy treat infused with cinnamon and brown sugar from the inside out. Top them with whipped cream and caramel sauce and enjoy them for breakfast or dessert. Watch my video tutorial below, and you’ll see how easy it is to make stuffed baked apples.
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Baked Apples Video
These stuffed baked apples taste like the warm filling for homemade Apple Pie. Watch me make delicious baked apples stuffed with buttery cinnamon sugar filling. You’ll love the cozy aroma that this creates in the kitchen as the apples roast in the oven.
Easy Baked Apples Recipe
These delightfully sweet and buttery baked apples are the BEST fall treat. Just like my Baked Pears Recipe, they’re easy to make, filled with caramelized cinnamon sugar and tangy cranberries, and baked until soft. Next to Apple Crisp, this is one of our favorite ways to use apples while they’re in season. My husband and kids loves these!
Serve baked apples for breakfast or at brunch, or as a gluten-free dessert topped with my whipped cream recipe and caramel sauce or add a scoop of ice cream over the warm apple, and it will melt into it – such a cozy treat during apple season!
Baked Apple Ingredients
- Apples – You’ll need 6 medium-sized baking apples. Aim for varieties that are crisp and firm, like Rome Beauty or Granny Smith apples.
- Brown Sugar – Brown sugar imparts loads of caramelized flavor to the apples as they bake.
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg – The combination of warm spices brings major fall flavor and really lets the apple shine.
- Dried Cranberries – You can use craisins or raisins or substitute with 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats for a crumble-like texture.
- Butter – Topping the apples with a spoonful of butter before baking causes the brown sugar filling to caramelize and deepens the flavors. You can substitute with ghee or dairy-free butter.
- Walnuts – Add finely chopped walnuts or pecans, if you’d like, to give the topping a bit of extra crunch.
The Best Apples for Baking
Choose round, firm, larger-sized apples. This way, they’ll stand upright, and you can stuff them with even more delicious filling. The best apple varieties for baking are firm, crisp, and tart apples such as:
- Rome Beauty
- Granny Smith
- Honeycrisp
- Jonagold Pink Lady
- Honeycrisp
- Golden Delicious
- Braeburn apples
How to Core Apples
To core an apple, cut out the center using an apple corer or melon baller or a sharp paring knife. The key to coring an apple for baking is to keep the base intact. Cutting all the way through will result in the filling leaking out!
How to Make Baked Apples
The process of stuffing and then roasting apples in the oven couldn’t be easier:
- Combine the Filling – In a bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and dried cranberries.
- Core and Stuff the Apples – Core the apples, making sure that you don’t cut all the way through the base (see above). Next, arrange the apples in a 9×13 casserole dish, and spoon the cinnamon filling between the apples. Top each one with a pat of butter and sprinkle on the walnuts if using.
- Add water – pour 1 cup of hot water into the bottom of the baking dish. If you have it on hand, you can substitute water with apple cider or apple juice.
- Bake until the apples are softened and tender, but not mushy. Mine usually take about 45 minutes to an hour at 375ºF.
Pro Tip:
Don’t overstuff your apples and bake in a casserole dish that is large enough to hold the apples without crowding them. For 6 apples, a 9×13 pan is perfect.
When are Baked Apples Done?
The bake times can vary depending on the size of your apples. Bake until they are tender but not falling apart. You should be able to easily pierce the apple with a fork.
How to Serve Baked Apples
You see the amber-colored pan juices under the baked apples? Spoon those pan juices over the baked apples before serving to make them glow. Baked stuffed apples are a treat all on their own, but there are so many ways to serve them and use up leftover apples:
- Baked Apples Dessert – we love them topped with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A generous drizzle of homemade Caramel Sauce makes these apples absolutely irresistible.
- Leftover Baked Apples?– Slice up freshly baked apples or warmed up leftover apples for breakfast the next day. We love to put warm baked apples on Overnight Oats, or Steel Cut Oats. They’re also great over Apple Pancakes.
Baked Apples
Ingredients
For the Baked Apples:
To serve (Optional):
- Unsweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
- Caramel Sauce, (Try our recipe for easy homemade Caramel Sauce)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 375˚F. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/8 tsp nutmeg and stir with a fork. Stir in 1/3 cup dried cranberries and set aside.
- Wash and core the apples using a melon baller, or small paring knife, leaving the base intact to keep the filling in – don't cut all the way through! Place apples in a casserole dish just big enough to hold the apples without them touching.
- Stuff Apples: Divide the filling evenly between apples. Top each stuffed apple with 1/2 Tbsp butter, top with walnuts if using, and sprinkle with any remaining cinnamon mixture. Set apples into a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Bake: Pour 1 cup hot water into the casserole dish and bake at 375˚F for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until apples are soft (but not mushy). Baking time can vary by the type and size of apples you are using. My Jonagold apples (pictured here) were perfect after 45 minutes but I've had larger Braeburn apples take 1 hour.
- To Serve: Spoon the juices from the baking dish over the apples and serve each apple topped with whipped cream and caramel or a scoop of ice cream.
Notes
- To Refrigerate: Bake the apples and cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing the baked apples since they will get mushy.
- To Reheat Apples: microwave for 30-45 seconds, or until warmed through.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Apple Recipes to Try
Try these other tasty ways to use apples:
I used pecans, golden raisins, and for pizzazz, added 1/4 cup Brandy. Another variation is pre mixed apple pie spice. Yum!
LOL my applesauce is very tasty! Baked too long so I have applesauce instead, which will be great with pork chops.
Hi Natasha,
First of all, I love looking through (a.k.a. “drooling over”) your recipes; they’re the BEST—my unbiased opinion. I’ve been searching for an apple dumpling recipe, and the closest I’ve found is your baked apple recipe. Even though I imagine it’s got to be similar to the dumpling recipe (but with a crust of some sort, and some other mysterious ingredients), it’s just not the same thing. I’m wondering if you could perhaps clue me in on what the actual differences might be, and I’ll do the rest. Thanks in advance, and how you stay so trim with all the yummies you’re always cooking!
You’re so welcome! Good to know that you like this recipe, thanks for sharing that, Sue.
Hi Natasha – I LOVE your recipes, they are always a success!!! When I make these baked apples, instead of hot water, I use apple juice! Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Hi Julie! Thank you for the feedback. So glad you enjoy my recipes. 🙂
Hi Natasha just wanted to know if that’s you giving prizes on YouTube saying to message you in telegram?
Hello there, that’s not me. I don’t have any giveaways or a telegram account for that.
Looks delicious! I know there are many kinds of baking apples, but I wonder what sort you used for this recipe? Thanks
Hi Oksana, you may use Rome Beauty or Granny Smith apples.
I added your Baked Apples to my Thanksgiving menu. Yum. Just wondering if I’ll be able to give your new cookbook as Christmas gifts?
That’s great. They’re perfect! Unfortunately, the cookbook won’t be ready for this Christmas. Fall 2023 is the release date.
These baked apples were the perfect fall treat. We added a drizzle of your homemade caramel sauce and a dollop of ice cream, and my kids are begging me to make these again!
That’s wonderful, Andie! Thank you for sharing.
Have you tried these in an air fryer (perhaps at lower temp)? Hate to run big oven for 2 people. LOVE baked apples!
I have not tested it but I think it could work. Let us know if you experiment.
This is a super easy recipe and I love the flavor, thank you so much for sharing
You’re welcome! I’m glad you loved it.
Mmmm!!! They are amazing!! I’m not a big fruit dessert person, but man, I sure love these apples!! Perfectly tender & delicious!
I’m so glad to hear that, Kristyn. Thank you for the review.
I make baked apples and soak my raisins in rum before I put them in the stuffing. I also add a few pats of butter in the water. delicious.
Sounds good and delicious!
I am diabetic but will make them this way until someone can tell me how to cut the sugar or use a sugar substitute to make them better for me.
If in UK Bramley Apples are good for this and other apple dishes