Baked Apples
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This easy baked apples recipe turns a handful of simple ingredients into a warm, cozy dessert that’s especially welcome when the weather turns cool.
If you’re looking for a light and easy dessert that will make your house smell like apple pie, this old-fashioned baked apples recipe is just the thing. Whole cored apples are filled with a warmly spiced brown sugar mixture, then baked in apple cider until tender. As they bake, the cider mingles with the buttery filling and apple juices to create a delicious sauce for spooning over the top.
The key is choosing apples that hold their shape in the oven. Firm varieties such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Granny Smith are all good choices; softer apples can collapse or turn mushy as they bake. A splash of brandy or bourbon in the cider is optional, but adds wonderful warmth and depth.
“Amazing, tender, sweet…The leftovers, reheated in the microwave, were every bit as good as those hot from the oven.”
What You’ll Need To Make Baked Apples
- Apples: Fuji and Gala are my favorites because they become tender while still holding their shape. Honeycrisp also works well, and Granny Smith is a good choice if you prefer a more tart flavor. Avoid softer varieties, which can become mushy or split as they bake.
- Dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg: Make up the warmly spiced filling. Dark brown sugar has a deeper, more caramel-like flavor than light brown sugar, but either will work in a pinch.
- Unsalted butter: Melts into the brown sugar filling as the apples bake and combines with the cider to create a delicious sauce.
- Apple cider or apple juice: Either works, but cider has a fuller apple flavor and is my preference when it’s available.
- Brandy or bourbon: Optional, but a splash adds warmth and depth to the cider sauce.
- Fresh lemon juice: A little acidity balances the sweetness of the apples and brown sugar.
- Variation: For a heartier filling, add ¼ cup each chopped nuts and dried fruit to the brown sugar mixture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Baked Apples
Core the apples: Remove the core and seeds without cutting all the way through the bottom. A melon baller makes this especially easy and gives you good control.
Make the filling and cider mixture: Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg for the filling. In a separate bowl, stir together the apple cider, lemon juice, and brandy or bourbon, if using.
Fill and bake the apples: Spoon the brown sugar mixture into the apples and top each with butter. Pour the cider mixture into the baking dish, then bake until the apples are tender when pierced with a knife but still holding their shape, basting them occasionally with the cider.
Serve: The baked apples are best warm, with some of the cider sauce spooned over the top, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Baked Apples
Ingredients
- 6 baking apples, preferably Fuji or Gala
- ½ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
- 1½ cups apple cider or apple juice
- 2 tablespoons brandy or bourbon, optional
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
- Caramel sauce, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Using the smaller side of a melon baller or a sharp-edged measuring teaspoon, core the apples, leaving the bottom ½ inch (1.3 cm) of the apples intact, and remove. (Do not use an apple corer, as it's hard to prevent the corer from going all the way through the apples.)
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Place the apples in a 2 to 2.5-qt (2 L) baking dish (they should fit snugly). Spoon the brown sugar mixture evenly into the apples. Top each apple with a chunk of butter.
- In a liquid measuring cup, combine the apple cider (or juice), brandy (if using), and lemon juice. Pour around the apples. The liquid should come about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the baking dish. Add more cider if necessary.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, until the apples are tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Let cool for a few minutes, then carefully transfer the apples (and some of the cooking juices, if you like) to serving bowls. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you’re following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
See more recipes:
More Comforting Fruit Desserts
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Beautiful, Delicious, and Easy to make. Served this with a light Romaine Salad along side Shepherds Pie as the main. Perfect Fall meal. Thank you!
I’d really like to make this recipe, but I live alone and would prefer to make only 1 or 2 apples at a time so that I don’t have a ton of leftovers. Are there any adjustments I need to make other than using less of the ingredients? For example, you mention that the apples should fit “snugly” in the baking dish – I know that “spacing” can affect how food is cooked, so would there be an issue if I had one lonely apple in the middle of a baking dish? LOL. Thank you!
Hi Julie, it’s fine for you to use one or two apples. I’d put them in the smallest oven-safe baking dish you have. Because there won’t be as many apples, some of the apple cider mixture in the baking dish may evaporate, so you may want to have a little more on hand to add just in case.