Easy Cinnamon Baked Apples

❤️You're Going to Love This Cinnamon Baked Apple Recipe

• Naturally sweet and fork-tender. Baking brings out the apples' sweetness and softens them perfectly.
• Individual apple crisps. I love how the buttery oat crumble turns each apple into its own little crisp.
• Simple ingredients. I always have the ingredients on hand. 
• Dessert or breakfast. Serve with ice cream and caramel sauce for dessert, or as a delicious treat for breakfast with Greek yogurt and honey or maple syrup.

🍎Ingredients

See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full recipe with exact amounts.

• Fresh apples. Gala apples are my favorite apple variety for whole baked apples. You can also use Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith apples. 
• Oats. Old fashioned rolled oats hold their texture well when baked. Quick-cooking oats also work well. 
• Flour. A little flour holds the crumble mix together and almost turns it into a soft oatmeal cookie :). You can also use oat flour, but the texture won't be quite the same. 
• Butter. Soften the butter so it's easy to cut or mix into the oat mixture. You can also use coconut oil. 
• Dried cranberries. I like to roughly chop the dried cranberries for more even distribution. Substitute with raisins or any kind of dried fruit. Or leave them out. 
• Chopped pecans. Use whatever kind of nuts you love and have. Walnuts or almonds would be delicious. You can also leave them out. 
• Spices. Cinnamon and ginger give the baked apples an apple pie flavor. You can also use apple pie spice or any of your favorite warm spices. 
• Salt. A pinch of salt brings out all the yummy flavors in the apple crisp topping.

🍏The Best Apples For Baking Whole

Wondering which apples are best for baking whole? Here are a few different apple varieties to choose from. 

• Sweet apples. Honeycrisp, Gala, and Fuji apples are all great choices if you like sweeter apples.  
• Tart apples. Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples hold up well when baked. 
• Not great for baking. Golden Delicious and Red Delicious apples, while great for snacking, can become mushy when baked whole. 

🥣How to Make Baked Cinnamon Apples

Step 1. Make the filling. Stir the oats, flour, brown sugar, pecans, cranberries, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a small bowl. Add the softened butter and mix it in with a pastry blender, two knives, or clean hands. 

Step 2. Core the apples. Cut the tops off the apples and, if necessary, slice off the bottoms to keep them upright. Use a paring knife and a spoon or a melon baller to cut and scoop out the core and seeds, creating a well ¾ of the way down the apple. Score the skin vertically a few times around the perimeter of the apple to prevent splitting during baking. 

✅Success Tips

• Choose the best baking apples. For best results, choose a crisp, firm apple that will hold its shape during baking. I like Gala, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith. 
• Make a well. When scooping out the apples, don't go all the way through to the bottom of the apple or the filling will fall out. 
• Watch the cooking time. Bake times will vary depending on the size and variety of apples. 
• Customize the filling. Swap the pecans and dried cranberries for your favorite nuts and dried fruit, or omit them.  

🧊How to Store and Reheat Whole Baked Cinnamon Apples

Store leftover baked apples in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments until warm. 

🍨What to Serve with Whole Baked Cinnamon Apples

• Dessert toppings. Caramel sauce, butterscotch sauce, honey, or maple syrup 
• Whipped cream. Regular whipped cream, caramel whipped cream, brown sugar cinnamon whipped cream
• Other creamy toppings. Greek yogurt, mascarpone, warm vanilla custard, or creme fraiche 
• Ice cream. Vanilla ice cream, butter pecan ice cream, or sea salt caramel ice cream
• Sweet sides. Pair with shortbread cookies, Biscoff, or a sliver of pound cake.

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