by SamanthaThese Baked Apples are surprisingly simple to make! You’ll just need a few fresh, crisp, slightly tart apples, a touch of sugar, and a bit of cinnamon! These baked apples have the best flavor and are sliced before baking for amazing flavor in every bite!
Believe it or not, apple picking season is just around the corner! I’ve been brushing up on my apple recipes recently, and so between this super simple baked apple recipe, flavorful apple crisp and my family’s favorite caramel apple galettes recipe, I think I’m off to a good start.
While I generally love just about any recipe made with apples from Homemade Apple Butter to Apple Slaw, these baked cinnamon apples have been an obsession recently. They’re insanely simple to make — you only need a handful of ingredients to enhance their natural sweetness and flavor as they slowly bake to perfection in your oven.
What are the Best Apples for Baked Apples
For this recipe I recommend using an apple that meets in the middle between sweet and tart. I personally recommend using Honeycrisp or Gala apples.
Just about any apple variety will work in this recipe, though, just be mindful of the difference that it will make in the final taste. A more tart apple (like Granny Smith) will yield a less sweet final product, while if you choose a sweeter apple (like Red Delicious), you could get away with cutting the sugar down a Tablespoon because these apples are already so sweet naturally.
How do You Make Baked Apple Slices?
Baked apple slices are simple to make!
- Peel, core, and slice your apples.
- Whisk together a simple coating of brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch (this will help your apple juices thicken and make a lovely glaze)
- Add apples (and, if you’d like, chopped walnuts) and toss together with lemon juice until your apples are well-coated.
- Dot with butter pieces, cover with foil, and bake for 15 minutes.
- Stir your apples and bake for another 15 minutes. Repeat until apples are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Top with ice cream (mandatory 😉) and serve
What Size Should I Slice My Apples for Baked Apples?
For this baked apple recipe I recommend cutting your apple slices between 1/3″ and 1/2″ thick. Try to cut your slices so that they are all close to the same size, as smaller slices will cook faster and could become mushy while slices that are too thick will be under-cooked and not as tender as desired.
If you would like your apples to cook faster, you can dice them into 1/2″ cubes instead (I use this technique to quickly cook the apples that I use for my apple turnovers). If you do cut your apples smaller, be sure to use a fork to check your apples each time you stir them in order to test for doneness. You are looking for apples that are tender and easily pierced with the tines of a fork.
More Amazing Apple Recipes!
- Apple Cheese Danish Bars
- Apple Pie Bites – an old favorite
- The Best Apple Crumb Pie Ever! – No really, the BEST!
- Homemade Apple Butter – goes with everything!
- Easy Apple Cake Recipe
Can I Leave the Skins on my Apples for Baked Apples?
For this recipe I recommend peeling your apples and removing the skins before baking. I’ve found that the apple skins tend to become much too tough and chewy to enjoy if they’ve been baked, so I recommend removing them for the best possible baked apples.
Baked Apples
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar tightly packed
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 4-5 large apples peeled, cored, and sliced about 1/3" - 1/2" thick (this is about 3 lbs -- I like to use Honeycrisp or Gala)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts optional
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter cut into 6 pieces
Follow Spend with Pennies on Pinterest
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease a deep 9x9 pan with butter.
- In a large bowl, stir together your sugars, cinnamon, and cornstarch until well-combined.
Add the apples and toss until well coated. Sprinkle with lemon juice and add walnuts (if using) and stir again until well-combined.
- Transfer apple mixture into your prepared baking pan (be sure to scrape out all sugar/juice from the bowl) and dot with butter pieces.
- Cover pan with foil and transfer to 375F oven. Bake for 60 minutes or until apples are tender when pierced with a fork, stopping every 15 minutes to stir apples.
- Serve warm, top with ice cream if desired.
Recipe Notes
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
What can I substitute for the lemon juice? Apple Juice?
Lime juice, or vinegar could work as a substitution Angela.