Warm apple pie flavors with a fraction of the work!
And plenty of syrupy filling to drizzle over vanilla ice cream!
Cinnamon Baked Apples are one of my favorite cold weather desserts! Imagine biting into a warm apple pie but without any of the work of making the pie. Enjoying a baked apple with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is critical… I guess you could go whipped cream, but I recommend a high quality vanilla ice cream!
Baked apples are cored apples, stuffed with yummy goodness in the form of butter, oats, nuts and spices, then baked until they’re warm and tender. These are great for a special meal because the apples can be prepped in advance, and bake while everyone is enjoying their dinner and have a scrumptious dessert shortly after eating their entree.
Baked apples sort of feel “healthier” than eating an apple pie since there is no crust. Maybe I’m just trying to talk myself into these being healthy!?! They’re also naturally gluten-free (ensure you’re using oats that aren’t processed in a factory that also may contain wheat, but oats are naturally gluten-free).
And finally, if I haven’t already sold on you making Cinnamon Baked Apples yet…. they’re fun and easy for kids to help. Even small kids can help to mix the filling ingredients and stuff the apples. Kids like to help in the kitchen and allowing them to do so can really help a picky eater try something new because they made it! But I don’t think you’ll have any trouble getting you kiddo to eat one of these
Cinnamon Baked Apples
All the flavors of a warm apple pie with a fraction of the work!
Ingredients
- 4 ea apples pick your favorite - Gala and Honeycrisp work well
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch salt, kosher
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375F.
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Core apples with a melon baller. Be sure to leave 1/2 - 1" of apple in the bottom of each apple - don't core all the way through.
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In a mixing bowl, add butter, oats, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
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Evenly distribute the mixture into the apples. Stuff each apple till filling has been completely distributed.
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Place apples in a small baking dish - 8"X8" works great - and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes and remove foil.
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With foil removed, bake an additional 15-20 minutes until the apples are tender and the filling is syrupy
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Using a sharp knife, cut apples in half. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Recipe Notes
Half an apple was the perfect serving size for a dessert. Cutting apples in half also allows for easy access to the yummy filling.
Vanilla ice cream is the classic choice but also good with whipped cream or vanilla yogurt.
A few more cold weather favorites from The Burnt Salad:
