Classic Baked Apples

This baked apples recipe is an easy, cozy fall dessert! Stuff the fruit with oats, spices, and brown sugar and bake until tender.

Got a craving for a cozy fall dessert? Try this Baked Apples recipe! It’s like a short-cut apple crumble, but lighter, easier and tastier. Stuff the sweet tart fruit with oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, then bake until sweet and tender. The tart tang of the apple against the spiced crumbles is a bit of a revelation! It’s especially good with a bit of vanilla ice cream, but it tastes just as good solo. You’ll be surprised at how the simple ingredients make a big flavor impact (we were!).

Ingredients in this baked apples recipe

Baked apples are whole apples that are stuffed with a crumble-style filling and baked until tender. The concept takes all the flavors of an apple crisp or apple crumble, but focuses on the apple instead: making it a lighter, healthier spin on the classic dessert.

It’s hard to get a baked apples recipe just right, because it needs to be just sweet enough and the apples must be fully tender. In fact, we tried a baked apples recipe years ago and it came out bland and crunchy (which made us almost swear the idea off altogether). Luckily, we tried again this year with some apples picked at a local orchard and it turned out perfectly. Here’s what you’ll need for baked apples:

Crisp-tart cooking apples (see below)
Old Fashioned rolled oats
All purpose flour
Pecans
Brown sugar
Butter
Cinnamon, ginger, and allspice
Salt

Types of apples for baked apples

This baked apples recipe is best with a specific type of cooking apple: use any firm, crisp sweet tart apple variety. A firm, crisp texture is crucial for baking, otherwise the fruit becomes mushy and grainy. A sweet tart apple has the best flavor because the acidity makes the flavor pop. Here are a few of the varieties that shine here:

Pink Lady
Honeycrisp
Golden Delicious
Granny Smith
Jonathon or Jonagold
Ida Red

For the photos, we used a variety we got at an orchard: simply taste test and see if the texture is crisp and the flavor is medium tart. There are lots of other great varieties of apples for baking: ask your grocer or at your apple orchard for what they recommend. Types to avoid? Pass on varieties like Gala, Fuji or Red Delicious: the flavor and texture don’t hold up here.

How to hollow out the apples

The other most important part of baked apples? Hollowing out the apple cavity. Here are a few tips to follow when cutting the apples to prepare them for baking:

Use a paring knife to cut a funnel shape. Start from the top of the apple and end about 2/3 of the way down the fruit. See the photo!
Remove and discard the seeds and core. Pull out the core, seeds and extra flesh. You don’t want too much extra flesh or it will take longer to cook the apples.

Making sure the baked apples are cooked

The most crucial part of a baked apples recipe? Making sure the apples are cooked through. The cook time will depend on the size and type of apples, and how much you’ve hollowed out the apples when removing the cores (see the photo above). Here are a few tips for baking:

Test by sliding in a pairing knife to the thickest point. It should slide in easily with no give. If not, bake a few minutes longer.
Resist the urge to overbake. Overbaking can make for mushy apples, though it all depends on the apple variety. Use your best judgement! The overall bake time should be approximately 45 minutes, but again: it depends on the size and type of apples.

How to serve baked apples

Once your baked apples are nice and tender, you can enjoy them right away! You’ll want to serve the apples with a knife and fork, so you can cut bites off of the whole apple. (It won’t be tender enough to eat with just a fork.) They’re delicious plain, but we like them with a little vanilla ice cream on the side. Here are a few serving suggestions:

Drizzle of maple syrup (required, we think!)
Vanilla ice cream
Cinnamon ice cream
Whipped cream
Caramel sauce
Creme anglaise (vanilla sauce)

More apples recipes

This baked apples recipe is perfect as an easy, cozy fall dessert or winter dessert! Here are a few more apple recipes you’ll love:

Try Perfect Apple Crumble
Go for Classic Apple Crisp Recipe (or Best Gluten Free Apple Crisp)
Grab Sauteed Apples (a la Mode!)
Opt for How to Make Applesauce

This baked apples recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegan, substitute vegan butter. For gluten-free, use almond flour.