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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Easy Cinnamon Baked Apples

    Published: Aug 27, 2023 by Cara Lanz · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    baked cinnamon apple topped with ice cream and caramel sauce
    baked cinnamon apple topped with ice cream and caramel sauce
    baked cinnamon apple topped with ice cream and caramel sauce
    baked cinnamon apple topped with ice cream and caramel sauce

    Baked Cinnamon Apples are filled with the most delicious cinnamon oat crumble with pecans, cranberries, butter, and brown sugar, then baked until perfectly tender. Top with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce for a warm, comforting fall dessert. 

    baked cinnamon apple topped with ice cream and caramel sauce

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    Jump to:
    • Why You're Going to Love This
    • Ingredients
    • Which Apples Are Best For Baking Whole
    • How to Make Baked Cinnamon Apples
    • Easy Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce
    • Success Tips
    • FAQs
    • More Delicious Dessert Recipes
    • 💌Let's Stay in Touch
    • 📖 Recipe

    This baked cinnamon apples recipe is an all-time favorite fall dessert -- and for good reason. 

    Baking brings out the natural sweetness of the apples and makes them perfectly soft and tender. 

    And the buttery cinnamon oat crumble filling is to die for. It's so soft, warm, and cinnamony, and the top turns ever-so-slightly golden brown and crispy.

    It's pretty much an individual apple crisp. 

    Served warm with ice cream or whipped cream and caramel sauce, it's a warm, comforting dessert for the fall season the whole family will love. 

    Try these delicious apple desserts next!

    • Healthy Baked Apples
    • Homemade Apple Pie Filling
    • Gooey Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
    • Apple Crisp
    • Taffy Apple Salad

    Why You're Going to Love This

    Warm cinnamon apples with all the flavors of apple pie

    Fast and easy recipe with simple ingredients

    Perfect recipe to make during apple season, the holiday season, or any time

    Ingredients

    baked cinnamon apple ingredients

    Fresh apples. Gala apples are my personal favorite apple variety for a whole baked apple recipe. You can also use Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith apples. 

    Oats. I prefer old fashioned rolled oats because they hold their texture well when baked. You can also use quick-cooking oats. 

    Flour. A little bit of 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 into the oat mixture. You can also use coconut oil. 

    Dried cranberries. If you prefer, roughly chop the dried cranberries for more even distribution. Substitute with raisins or any kind of dried fruit. You may also omit them. 

    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. 

    Sea salt. A pinch of salt brings out all the yummy flavors in the apple crisp topping. 

    Which Apples Are Best For Baking Whole

    Wondering which kind of apple is best for baking whole? Here are a few favorites 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

    1. Make the filling. 

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

    oat crumble mixture in a glass bowl

    2. Core the apples. 

    Cut the tops off of the apples and a slice off of the bottom if necessary to keep them upright.

    To keep from wasting the apple tops, snack on them or toss them with lemon juice, stash them in the fridge, then chop them up to stir into your oatmeal or yogurt in the morning.

    apples with tops cut off on white cutting board

    Use a paring knife and a spoon or a melon baller to cut and scoop out the core and seeds, creating a well in the apple. Don't cut all the way through the bottom.

    hands holding an apple and paring knife cutting out the core of an apple
    hands holding an apple and a spoon coring an apple

    Score the skin vertically a few times around the perimeter of the apple to keep it from splitting during baking. 

    hands holding an apple and a paring knife scoring the skin of the apple
    cored apples in a baking dish

    3. Fill the apples. 

    Place the apples in a baking dish. Lightly pack the filling into each apple and mound the excess on top. 

    spoon dropping crumble mixture into cored apple

    4. Bake. 

    Pour water into the baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10-30 more minutes or until tender. 

    baked cinnamon apples in a baking dish

    5. Serve and enjoy!

    Serve baked cinnamon apples warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce or maple syrup. 

    baked cinnamon apple topped with ice cream and caramel sauce

    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 or in a 350 degree oven. 

    baked cinnamon apple topped with ice cream and caramel sauce

    Easy Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce

    Is that caramel drizzle making you drool? You can make it in under 10 minutes with ingredients you might already have. Click here for the recipe.  

    caramel sauce being drizzled into a mason jar

    Success Tips

    For best results, choose a crisp, firm apple that will hold its shape during baking. I like Gala, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith. 

    Be careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom of the apple or the filling will fall out. 

    Bake time will vary depending on the size and variety of apples. 

    The dried cranberries and/or pecans may be omitted. 

    FAQs

    What are the best apples to bake whole?

    Gala, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp apples are all great apple varieties to use in this easy baked apples recipe. 

    Do you have to peel apples before baking them? 

    No, not only do you not have to peel apples before baking them, but you shouldn't. Keeping the peel on the apple helps them stay together during baking. 

    Can you core an apple without a corer?

    Yes. You don't need any special equipment to core an apple -- just a paring knife and a spoon. Use the paring knife to cut around the core and the spoon to dig out the core and seeds. If you have a grapefruit spoon, that will make it even easier!

    More Delicious Dessert Recipes

    • caramel sauce being drizzled into a mason jar
      Easy Brown Sugar Caramel Sauce (without Cream)
    • side view of apple pie with graham cracker crust topped with vanilla ice cream
      Gooey Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
    • pumpkin pie bar with cream cheese frosting, walnuts, and caramel sauce on a white plate
      Paula Deen Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
    • caramel apple dip in a white bowl on a round platter with pretzels, apples, and graham crackers
      Caramel Apple Dip

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    📖 Recipe

    baked cinnamon apple topped with ice cream and caramel sauce

    Baked Cinnamon Apples

    Cara Lanz
    Baked Cinnamon Apples are filled with the most delicious cinnamon oat crumble with pecans, cranberries, butter, and brown sugar, and baked until perfectly tender. Top with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce for a warm, comforting fall dessert. 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe!
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 50 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 303 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 apples
    • ¼ cup old fashioned oats
    • 3 tablespoons flour
    • 3 tablespoons softened butter
    • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
    • 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon ginger
    • 1 pinch salt
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    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 375.
    • Stir the oats, flour, brown sugar, pecans, cranberries, cinnamon, ginger, and salt together. Add the softened butter and mix it in with two knives, a pastry blender, or clean hands.
    • Cut the tops off the apples. If needed, slice a little off the bottom so they sit upright.
      With a sharp paring knife, cut around the core about ¾ of the way into the apple. Use a spoon or grapefruit spoon to dig out the core and seeds to create a well.
      Score the skin 4-5 times around the circumference of each apple.
    • Place the apples in a baking dish. Lightly pack the oat mixture into the apples and into a mound on top.
    • Pour ¾ cup warm water into the baking dish. Cover with foil.
      Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10-30 more minutes or until tender.
    • Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and chopped pecans.

    Notes

    For best results, choose a crisp, firm apple that will hold its shape during baking. I like Gala, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith. 
    Bake time will vary depending on the size and variety of apples. 
    The dried cranberries or pecans may be omitted. 
    Don't let those apple tops go to waste. Snack on them or chop them up, toss them in lemon juice, and store them in the fridge to stir into your morning oatmeal or yogurt. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 303kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 2gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 82mgPotassium: 260mgFiber: 6gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 365IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
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    Hi, I'm Cara!

    I love sharing easy, delicious everyday recipes from the heartland.

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