These Cinnamon Baked Apples are a perfect fall dessert made up of soft, tender apples in a sweet citrus syrup. Serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and everyone will want a second helping!
Prep Time20 minutesminutes
Cook Time50 minutesminutes
Total Time1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
Ingredients
6golden apples
1tablespoonground cinnamon
⅓cupchopped walnuts or pecans
¾cupbrown sugar, divided
2 ½tablespoonsbutter
2cupsorange juice or apple cider
Vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, optional for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a square baking dish (I used a 10x10 baking dish) with butter or non-stick spray.
Wash the apples. With a knife, core each apple starting at the stem, removing the center of the apple. Place each prepared apple in prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl, prepare the filling by mixing the cinnamon, nuts, and 1⁄4 cup of the brown sugar together. With a spoon, place the filling inside the center of each apple.
Divide your butter into six small pieces and place 1 small piece on top of each apple.
In another bowl, mix the orange juice with the rest of the brown sugar to make the syrup. Pour inside of the pan to let the apples sit in the juice.
Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until the apples are soft and the syrup has thickened.
Serve baked apples warm by themselves, or you can top them with ice cream for an extra special treat!
Video
Notes
Should I Peel My Apples? I usually don't, but you can. Not everyone is a fan of the texture of baked apple skin, so it's totally fine to remove it.
Customize the Filling: Feel free to change of the spices by adding nutmeg, ground cloves, or even apple pie spice. You can also do pecans or walnuts or both.
Can I Slice My Apples Instead of Baking Them Whole? Sure. Just mix the filling ingredients and the pieces of butter in with the apple slices, add the syrup, and bake. I would recommend baking these apples covered this way (with a lid or aluminum foil), and baking for 20-30 minutes instead of 50-60. (You can bake for longer if they're not tender enough at that point, but you just want to make sure not to over-bake them.
Storage: These apples are best fresh, but will store well if not topped with ice cream. To store, allow baked apples to cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in microwave before serving.
Crockpot: You can also make these cinnamon baked apples in your crockpot. Follow all directions and then cook them for 2 hours on high or 4 to 5 hours on low. Depending on the size of your crockpot and apples, you may only be able to fit 5 apples in your crockpot.