Apple season is back once again, and that means it’s time for me to start making all kinds of apple desserts with the huge piles of apples I buy every year.
This is one of the simplest desserts you can make out of apples, and it’s also very flexible to tweak the fillings. So, I don’t have a lot of tips, but I do have a couple.
First, the apple selection. You want an apple variety that holds up well to baking. Firm apples work best, and I’ve always found honeycrisp to be great. Many of the crisp varietals are also good choices. You can also just go with a classic granny smith if you want.
Next is the apple size. Since you’re coring and stuffing these apples, you want larger apples to give you more room to work with. The smaller the apple, the less space you have for fillings, and the less room for error you have when digging them out.
Technique is important. I recommend a good sharp apple corer to help, but I’ve also just done it with a knife and spoon before, so it really just means being careful.
When you prep these apples, you need to cut the center out, but you want to avoid cutting all the way through. Your goal is to make a kind of apple bowl, not a cylinder. That way, when you fill it with goodies and bake it, it retains the tasty sugar and spices, rather than leaking it all out.
Choose your own mix-in. The base for the filling is just brown sugar, butter, spices, and oats. There’s also about two tablespoons worth of room for mix-ins (one tablespoon per apple), which can be more oats, or chopped nuts, or dried fruit. Do what you like! For this recipe, I did chopped pecans and dried cranberries, and it worked out great.
As for the spices, many recipes call for just cinnamon and nutmeg. I like to use my pie spice mix any time cinnamon is called for, so give it a try!
Assembly and baking are super easy, so once you get all of that down, you’re good to go! Here’s how to do it, in recipe box form.
Stuffed and Baked Apples
Equipment
- Apple Corer
- Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 2 Large Apples
- 2 Tbsp Softened Butter
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- ½ Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice See blog post for my mix.
- 2 Tbsp Old-Fashioned Oats
- 2 Tbsp Mix-Ins Chopped nuts and dried fruit, or just more oats.
- ¾ Cup Water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375℉.
- Carefully core the apple, removing the core but leaving the bottom intact. A combination of paring knife, spoon, and apple corer works best. You want to get the seeds out but avoid poking all the way through the apple.
- In a bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, and pie spice. Then stir in the oats and mix-ins.
- Spoon about half of the mix-ins into each of the apples. Place them in the baking dish, pour the water into the dish, and bake for 40-50 minutes (or until the apple is soft.)
- Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.