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These Simple Baked Apples use just a handful of ingredients to make a delicious fall dessert. Serve with caramel sauce for a more elegant twist on an apple crisp! 

Overhead view of baked apples in a white baking dish

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been staring down a very large bag of apples we picked up at the orchard.

It was definitely a case of being in the moment and buying all the festive things at the little orchard store. From apples and handmade caramels to gallons of cider and cute pumpkins, we went all in.

These simple baked apples were the perfect way to use up some of those apples for a quick and delicious mid-week treat!

Baked apple ingredients arranged on a countertop

EASY BAKED APPLES

I don’t think that it’s any secret that most of us just don’t have energy to spare right now. This year has kind of taken it all out of us.

Easy desserts are where it’s at for me right now. Recipes like Apple Dump Cake and Banana Cream Pie Eclair Cake are my jam these days.

Four cored apples in a white baking dish

But with all of those fresh apples on my hands, a girl can only make so much Crockpot Applesauce or Slow Cooker Apple Butter.

So I decided that Simple Baked Apples were in order. They’re still really easy – they took me less than 10 minutes to prepare – but they seem much fancier than they actually are.

Oat crumble for baked apples in a white bowl

Stuffed with a simple mixture of butter, oats and brown sugar, they are sort of like individual apple crisps.

Of course, Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp isn’t exactly “elegant” when served. But these Simple Baked Apples are almost elegant enough to serve at Thanksgiving! 

Crumble-stuffed apples in a white baking dish, ready to be baked

WHAT TYPES OF APPLES ARE BEST FOR THIS RECIPE?

If you haven’t baked much with apples, you might not realize that not every apple is the same for cooking and baking.

Some apples break down a lot more after cooking. You might not mind as much in a crisp or a pie, but you don’t want your baked apples to turn to mush!

Close up of baked apples in a white baking dish, drizzled with caramel sauce

I recommend using a good baking apple. I like using Golden Delicious apples because they’re so easy to find and have a nice sweet/tart flavor. But some other varieties you could use include:

  • Granny Smith
  • Jonagold or Jonathan
  • Honeycrisp
  • Pink Lady
  • Braeburn
Hand drizzling caramel sauce over a pan of baked apples

HOW TO MAKE BAKED APPLES

These Simple Baked Apples are so easy, I promise they’ll only take you a few minutes to pull together. The rest of the time is hands-off while they bake!

The hardest part of making these apples is hollowing them out. If you have an apple corer it will be much easier, but make sure not to go all the way through or else the filling will fall out the bottom!

I like to use a paring knife to cut out around the stem of the apple. Then I use a spoon (a grapefruit spoon is actually great for this) to dig out the center.

Hand pouring caramel sauce onto a plated baked apple

You want to get rid of the core and the seeds and make room for the filling, but leave the bottom of the apple intact so they don’t fall apart while baking. 

Set the apples in a baking dish and mix together the filling. Stuff the filling in the apples but be gentle; if you pack it in too tight, the apples will burst while baking!

 (Ask me how I know.)

Serve these Simple Baked Apples with a drizzle of Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce and bask in the glory that is fall. Maybe even top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you’re feelin’ extra. 

Plated baked apple cut in half to show the crumble filling

CAN BAKED APPLES BE REHEATED?

If you have any leftover Simple Baked Apples, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Reheat them in the microwave for anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on your microwave.

You’re probably wondering if you can freeze the baked apples. I wouldn’t really recommend it. The freezing and thawing process is likely to make them mushier than we want them to be. 

But they’re so quick and easy to make, you really won’t mind making them a few times before the end of apple season! 

Baked apple cut in half and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce
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Simple Baked Apples

By: Jamie Lothridge
4.29 from 7 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
These Simple Baked Apples use just a handful of ingredients to make a delicious fall dessert. Serve with caramel sauce for a more elegant twist on an apple crisp! 

Ingredients  

  • 4 medium apples cored and slightly hollowed down

Filling:

  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
  • Caramel sauce for serving

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Core and slightly hollow out the apples beyond the cored center. (Don’t go too far or the apple will lose its shape when baked). Place the apples in a baking dish.
  • Mix together the oats, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
  • Add the softened butter to the mixture, mixing gently with your fingers until thoroughly incorporated.
  • Lightly add the filling to the apples. (Do not pack inside or the mixture will expand and the apple will burst!)
  • Bake for 30 minutes.
  • Serve warm, drizzled with caramel sauce.

Notes

I like to use Golden Delicious apples for this recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1apple, Calories: 239kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 74mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 33g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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47 Comments

  1. Eris says:

    Scoring the apple around the middle will avoid it splitting altogether.
    I make stuffed baked apples often and this trick helps.
    Also do not over cook the apple.

  2. Daphne Yurch says:

    I have no idea what I would do without you these are AMAZING!!!!1

  3. Sheena says:

    So the wrinkles come from not peeling the apples?

    1. MBA says:

      Sheena-
      Yes, the skin expands when baking and tends to wrinkle up. If you want to avoid this, cut several slits into the skin to allow for the expansion. Have a great day!
      -Jamie

  4. Rachel @ Bakerita says:

    I did this by mixing some granola I had on hand with softened butter and stuffing the apples, and putting about an inch of apple cider on the bottom of the pan to make it even juicier!
    Soo so good.

  5. Debbie says:

    This looks so easy. I now have all the ingredients available, I will have to try this.Sounds tasty.