Baked apples are a toasty warm fall treat. Most baked apple recipes require the apples to be cored and partially peeled before being stuffed with fillings. Here’s an easier way: cut each apple in half, then scoop out the seeds with a spoon and stuff the filling in the resulting hole. No special kitchen gadgets needed!
Use Only Baking Apples for this Recipe
Some apples hold up well to baking, while others turn into mush. Choose good baking apples for this recipe: Northern Spy, Ida red, Cortland, Royal Gala, and Braeburn are all smart choices. Sauce apples like Granny Smith will break down during baking. Do not use them.
Recommended Reading: Get started with baking by reading our Ultimate Guide to the Best Baking Equipment for Beginners!
Serving Suggestions
Use baked apples for parties! Have everyone stuff an apple with their favorite fillings. Then pour apple cider over them all and bake them together.
Serve baked apples with ice cream, whipped cream from a whipped cream dispenser, or a touch of regular cream on top. Eat warm.
Baked Apples Dessert Recipe
Serves 4
Total preparation + cooking time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 apples (see note above)
- 1/3 cup apple cider
- Butter or margarine
- Filling ingredients (choose one or several from list below)
Directions:
- Wash and dry the apples. Cut each one in half.
- Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. If there isn’t enough room for the filling, scoop out a little bit of the apple too.
- Stuff the cavity left by the seeds with one of the filling combinations below.
- Place in a baking dish and pour the apple cider over top of the apples.
- Top the baking dish with a lid or tinfoil.
- Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
- Take the dish out and baste the apples with the apple cider.
- Bake an additional 10 minutes, uncovered.
Filling Ingredients:
Each filling recipe makes 4 servings.
Buttery Maple Filling
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. butter or vegan margarine
- 1 heaping Tbsp. chopped pecans
- 2 Tbsp. raisins
Note: melt the apple cider, butter, and maple syrup together in a saucepan before pouring over the apples.
Cheddar Brown Sugar Filling
- 1 ounce (1/4 cup shredded) old cheddar cheese
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
Spicy Sweet Filling
- 4 tsp. brown sugar
- Pinch each cinnamon and nutmeg
Caramel Filling
- 4 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
Adults-Only Amaretto Filling
- 4 dried apricot halves, chopped finely
- 4 tsp. amaretto liqueur
Build Your Own Combination Using Any of the Following:
- Granola
- Chopped nuts: pecans, walnuts, almonds (crushed or chopped finely)
- Chopped dried fruit: apricots, currants, cranberries, raisins, dates
- Lemon or orange zest
- Sweetener: Brown sugar, honey, cane sugar, maple syrup
- Minced crystallized ginger
- Spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
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