Description
This delicious recipe for baked apples features tender apples stuffed with a buttery oat mixture and baked to perfection in a sweet cinnamon sauce. Perfect as a comforting dessert or a cozy treat, these baked apples are easy to prepare and bursting with warm flavors of cinnamon and brown sugar.
Ingredients
For the Apples
- 6 apples (approx. 2 to 2.25 pounds total, or 5 to 6 ounces for each apple)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (70 grams)
- ⅔ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (60 grams)
- ⅓ cup packed light or dark brown sugar (65 grams)
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Sauce/Cooking Liquid
- 1 ½ cups water (360 ml)
- 1 ½ tablespoons light or dark brown sugar (22 grams)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30 grams)
Instructions
- Prepare the apples: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Use an apple corer to remove the core and seeds from each apple, ensuring all seeds are eliminated. Place the cored apples evenly into an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan and set aside.
- Make the oat filling: In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter, rolled oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly using an electric mixer, rubber spatula, or your hands until well combined and crumbly.
- Stuff the apples: Spoon 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of the oat mixture into the center of each cored apple, filling them generously without overpacking. Place the stuffed apples back into the baking pan carefully to avoid spilling the filling.
- Prepare the sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine water, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter. Once boiling, remove from heat.
- Apply the sauce and begin baking: Spoon a large spoonful of the hot sauce over each stuffed apple, then pour the remaining sauce into the bottom of the pan around the apples. Place the pan in the center rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Baste the apples: After 30 minutes, carefully remove the pan from the oven. Use a tablespoon to baste each apple with the cooking liquid that has collected at the bottom. This helps keep the apples moist and flavorful.
- Continue baking: Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 10 to 25 minutes. The baking time depends on your preferred softness and the size of your apples: approximately 10 minutes for smaller apples (~5.5 ounces) or up to 25 minutes for larger apples or softer texture.
- Cool and serve: Remove the baked apples from the oven and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes before serving. The apples can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Choose firmer apple varieties like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Fuji for the best texture and flavor.
- The cooking liquid also creates a delicious syrup in the pan—serve it over the apples when plating for extra moisture and sweetness.
- If you prefer, substitute water in the sauce with apple juice or cider for a richer sauce flavor.
- For a dairy-free version, use vegan butter or coconut oil instead of unsalted butter.
- Adjust the amount of cinnamon and brown sugar according to your taste preferences—more cinnamon for warmth, more sugar for sweetness.
- Serve warm, optionally topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for an indulgent dessert.
