Baked Apples

Another time-tested recipe from Kitchen Parade, one of my very oldest recipes, a favorite of my mom's dating way back to my childhood! Years later, Baked Apples remain a fall tradition in my own kitchen. I just love how small apples soak up the luscious, rich apple-flavored brown-sugar sauce. Utterly addictive!

Baked Apples, another time-tested recipe ♥ KitchenParade.com, a fall tradition, simple and cinnamony with a luscious sauce.

Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal. A Fall Classic. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Naturally Gluten Free.

COMPLIMENTS!
  • "... tasty :) ... essentially an apple pie without the pie." ~ Anonymous

BEST RECIPES

No Regrets.

Is anyone sad to see the end of summer's much-loved strawberries and blueberries and peaches? Here's a solution: seasonal eating.

You see, seasonal eaters revel in the foods of the moment, strawberries in spring, blueberries and peaches in midsummer, plums in late summer ... and yes, come fall, apples.

Our modern food distribution system is a marvel, delivering so many seasonal foods year-round. Whether January or June or October, supermarkets pile up enticing piles of apples.

But during fall's apple-picking season, so many apple choices! Call me smitten, my apple recipes are both savory and sweet, classics like Naturally Sweetened Apple Butter (no added sugar) and Apple Crisp (it's extra crispy).

Bye-bye berries! See you next year.

Apple Recipes ♥ KitchenParade.com.

When "Supper's a Little Skimpy"

Baked Apples were my mom's favorite. She loved to bake apples (and other sweets) when supper was what she called "a little skimpy".

At a young age, I copied Mom's recipe onto my own 3x5 card just to make them myself – and I still do! Baked Apples are a fall tradition here, that's when the local apples are just-picked, the selection and freshness so good. But thanks to imports and new storage techniques, apples are available year-round so apples can be baked year-round on a whim.

In the oven, the apples turn dark and soft. The real attraction? The simple brown sugar sauce takes on sweet apple flavor: utterly addictive! Less sauce would do, but then again, the apples are small. :-)

So if your supper is a little skimpy tonight? Add hot, rich baked apples to the menu and your family will leave the table with big smiles. Try Baked Apples with a bit of vanilla ice cream – or a splash of cream. Delicious!

How to Make Baked Apples, Just Apples + Pantry Ingredients

Just three easy steps!

  • MAKE THE SAUCE The sauce is so delicious, a simple mix of brown sugar for sweetness, cornstarch for thickening, water for volume, spices and butter for flavor. You'll cook the sauce on top of the stove first.
  • CORE THE APPLES While the sauce cooks, remove the apples' center cores, this creates an inner open area that will help the apples cook and soften evenly and for the sauce to grab delicious apple juices.
  • BAKE EM' UP! The oven is where the real magic happens! As the apples soften, the apple juice infuses flavor into the sauce, so so delicious.

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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe for baked apples hits the mark, go ahead, save and share! I'd be honored ...


Baked Apples, another time-tested recipe ♥ KitchenParade.com, a fall tradition, simple and cinnamony with a luscious sauce.



BAKED APPLES

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Total preparation time: 1 hour
Makes 9 servings with small apples, fewer servings with larger apples
    BROWN-SUGAR SAUCE
  • 1-1/2 (300g) cups brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Dash cinnamon
  • Dash nutmeg
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick/56g) butter
  • 9 small or medium apples

Heat the oven to 325F/160C. Rub a 9x9 (or similar) baking dish with butter.

COOK THE BROWN-SUGAR SAUCE In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and spices; stir together with a wooden spoon to remove any obvious lumps. Add the water and stir. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the butter and cook the sauce until it thickens, stirring occasionally.

WHILE THE SAUCE COOKS Wash and core the apples and arrange the apples right-side up in the dish. Pour the hot sauce over the apples, be sure to get some sauce inside the apple centers.

BAKE Bake for 45 minutes, about halfway through baking, remove from the oven and spoon the hot sauce over the apples again. Return to the oven to complete baking.

Serve hot or cold with a drizzle of cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

HOW TO CORE an APPLE To "core" an apple means to remove the middle core of the apple (from the stem end to the blossom end, including the apple seeds) while leaving the apple still fully intact. Stores sell special tools called "apple corers" (affiliate link) that make quick work of removing the cores. But an apple corer isn't required. A paring knife or a serrated grapefruit knife are good substitutes, inserting it from first one end and then the other. Perfection is unnecessary, the apples will soften and collapse in the oven anyway.
ALANNA's TIPS Look for small apples in three-pound bags in the produce section. They're less expensive, too! Are "dashes" of cinnamon and nutmeg enough? You bet, even if I always feel tempted to add more. But small dashes are perfect, allowing the delicate apple flavor to infuse the sauce without competition from the spices.
NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving (assumes 9): 241 Calories; 5g Tot Fat; 3g Sat Fat; 13mg Cholesterol; 46mg Sodium; 51g Carb; 2g Fiber; 46g Sugar; 0g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 5 & PointsPlus 7 & SmartPoints 14 & Freestyle 12 & myWW green 12 & blue 12 & purple 12

More Apple Recipes, Perfect for This Year's Crop

~ My Best & Favorite Apple Recipes ~
more
~ apple recipes ~
Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple ♥ KitchenParade.com, familiar ingredients somehow create unexpected layers of flavor and color. Festive for holiday buffets and tables.

Chicken with Apple & Creamy Cider Gravy ♥ KitchenParade.com, a one-skillet chicken dish, perfect for fall. Full-flavored chicken thighs cradled in creamy gravy made with apple cider.

Thick Chops with Sauerkraut & Apples ♥ KitchenParade.com, a country-style skillet, easy enough for a weeknight supper, special enough for Saturday company. One of my very oldest fall recipes.



This Recipe Has Moved


Wondering How to Make It Yourself?
please see

~ How to Make Homemade Applesauce ~

Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ apple recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade
2003, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2020 (repub) & 2021

Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. Oy yeah, that looks good! I've baked apples but never with such a lovely glaze...

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  2. Hi Katie ~ This is what baked apples look like before they're baked. Afterward, they're gorgeous to the eye -- all plump and soft and deep caramel brown -- just not to the camera!

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  3. Anonymous10/05/2007

    This one really did have me back in my mother's kitchen when I was little. Baked apples with a maraschino cherry on top! Thanks for the memory.

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  4. Anonymous10/05/2007

    I think I just got off the school bus and the kitchen smells like baked apples and a pork roast.

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  5. You know you make me wanna shout, kick my heels up and shout...

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  6. Anonymous10/05/2007

    I love baked apples! I can smell them just by looking at the photo...now I know what I'm doing tomorrow! What a fun blog btw. I'm glad I found it today.

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  7. That's a great classic comfort food recipe, thanks for sharing, Alanna!

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  8. At first glance I thought they were glazed donuts - gave me a sugar rush!
    Dessert doesn't have to be junk food. One of these would satisfy my sweet tooth very nicely, thank you.

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  9. Looks delicious! How could I resist that glaze?

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  10. Anonymous10/07/2007

    Was tasty :). Essentially a apple pie without the 'pie'. Made it straight from the recipe but next time would peel the apples along with coring. The skins just dont do anything for me ;P.

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  11. Hi anonymous ~ Ah yes, the peel or no peel question, glad you brought it up. I don't peel the apples (nor did my mother) but they can be tough, definitely take some pressure to slice through. When I made them for my dad last week, he complimented me on the softness of the peel - which suggests that other times, the peels have been tough. Last week's batch spent an extra half half hour in the oven, waiting for the ice cream to arrive!

    So - yes, do peel. I'd love to know how they work out that way.

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  12. Anonymous11/01/2007

    I am a kitchen manager for a Assisted living facility. This looks like a recipe that they would enjoy. I am always looking for a new one. I'll try and let you know

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  13. Anonymous11/01/2007

    Hi Anonymous ~ If it's any guide, my 81-year old father was licking his chops over this a few weeks ago! I do hope you'll let me know!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna