These cozy Baked Apples are filled with toasted nuts, dried cherries, and dates, then scented with orange, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup, they're an easy, wholesome fall dessert.
Beauty is not caused. It is. ~Emily Dickinson
These cozy baked apples taste like fall! Filled with toasted nuts, dates, and dried cherries, then scented with orange zest, fresh ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and a hint of fennel. A drizzle of maple syrup brings everything together as the apples bake until tender and fragrant.
Simple and naturally sweetened, they're one of my favorite fall desserts when I want something cozy without being overly rich or sweet. Serve them warm as they are, or add a spoonful of yogurt, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream for a little indulgence.
Why you’ll love Baked Apples!
Warm and fragrant. Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, orange, and a hint of fennel fill the kitchen with the most incredible aroma as the apples bake.
Naturally sweetened. Maple syrup, dates, and dried cherries add just enough sweetness, letting the flavor of the apples and warm spices shine.
Easy, yet beautiful. With minimal hands-on time, these baked apples make a cozy weeknight treat that's pretty enough to serve for a fall dinner or holiday gathering.
Baked Apple Recipe Ingredients
- Apples: Choose apples that soften beautifully when baked, such as Honeycrisp or Gala. Look for medium-to-large apples that will hold their shape while becoming tender.
- Pecans and walnuts: Add richness, crunch, and a delicious toasted nuttiness. Use one or both.
- Dried cherries and dates: Create a naturally sweet, chewy filling with little bursts of tartness from the cherries. Raisins or cranberries can also work.
- Orange: Both fresh orange zest and juice brighten the filling and complement the warm spices.
- Warm spices: Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and fennel create a wonderfully fragrant filling. The fennel is unexpected and gives these baked apples a distinctive aromatic note.
- Fresh ginger: Adds warmth and a fresh, spicy brightness that keeps the filling from tasting overly sweet.
- Maple syrup: Naturally sweetens the apples and filling while adding a subtle caramel-like richness.
How to make Baked Apples
Step 1: Toast the nuts. Toast nuts in a preheated oven at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.
While they are baking, toast whole fennel seeds in a dry skillet until just slightly color and smell fragrant.
Step 2: Grind. Coarsely grind the fennel by hand or in a spice grinder.
Gather spices, zest orange and grate ginger.
Step 3: Pulse. In the food processor, pulse together toasted nuts, orange zest, dried cherries, dates, cinnamon, fennel seed, cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger.
It’ll just take about 6-8 pulses; you want the pieces to be coarsely chopped, keeping the texture.
Step 4: Combine. Add orange juice and maple syrup, and pulse 2-3 times just to incorporate.
Step 5: Core the apples. The easiest way to do this is with an apple corer. Alternatively, you can hollow them out with a knife, just enough to remove the entire core.
Step 6: Stuff the apples. Eyeball the mixture and divide it into 6 clumps. Squish and roll together and push into the cored apples.
Step 7: Place the stuffed apples in an oiled baking dish (coconut oil is nice here). Peel â…“-inch of the apple peel away for a cleaner edge.
Step 8: Bake. Place in oven, covered with foil, at 350F for 45-70 minutes. Bake until the apple itself is tender. *The baking time greatly depends on the type and size of apple you use.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve them warm right out of the oven with homemade ice cream.
- Serve as a brunch or breakfast entree with creamy vanilla yogurt
- Serve as an afternoon snack with chai tea.
Chef's Tips
- Choose apples that soften when baked. You want apples that become tender and break down slightly while still holding their shape. Honeycrisp, Gala, Jonathan, Braeburn, Fuji, and Pink Lady all work beautifully.
- Don't core all the way through. Leave the bottom of each apple intact to create a little cup that holds the nut and dried-fruit filling and all those flavorful juices.
- Bake until truly tender. A knife should slide easily into the apple with very little resistance. If the center is still firm, keep baking-soft and succulent is what you're after.
- Spoon the juices over the top. Before serving, spoon the fragrant juices from the baking dish over the warm apples for extra flavor and moisture.
Storing Baked Apples
The baked apples keep up to 4 days in the fridge and can be reheated in a warm 350 oven or microwaved. They can be made up to a day ahead, refrigerated, and baked before serving.
More Favorite Apple Recipes
Baked Apples Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 apples 1x
- Category: apple recipe, Brunch recipe, Dessert, Fall Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Low-Carb, Vegan, Vegetarian
Description
These Baked Apples are a cozy, fall dessert (or delicious homey breakfast!) Filled with toasted nuts and dates, dried cherries, cinnamon, and orange zest, they are maple-sweetened with no refined sugar! This baked apples recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups nuts: combination of pecans and walnuts
- 1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
- 1/4 cup dried cherries
- 1/4 cup pitted dates (medjool are recommended)
- 2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tsp whole fennel seeds (toasted and lightly ground)
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons orange juice or water
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 6 medium-sized apples- Honey Crisp, Gala, Johnathan, Braeburn, Pink lady
Instructions
- Toast nuts in a preheated oven at 350 F for 8-10 minutes.
- Filling. In the food processor pulse together pecans, walnuts, orange zest, dried cherries, dates, cinnamon, fennel seed, cardamom, nutmeg and ginger. Â It’ll just take about 6-8 pulses, you want the pieces to be coarsely chopped, keeping the texture.
- Add orange juice and maple syrup and pulse 2 -3 times just to incorporate.
- Core the apples. Â The easiest way to do this is with an apple corer. Â Alternatively, you can hollow them out with a knife, just enough to remove the entire core. Peel away a â…“-inch from the edge.
- Stuff the apples. Eyeball the mixture, dividing it into 6 clumps. Squish and roll together and push into the cored apples. Place stuffed apples in an oiled baking pan (coconut oil is nice here).
- Bake. Place in oven, covered with foil, and bake at 350F for 45-70 minutes. Â The baking time greatly depends on the size and type of apple you use. Bake until apples pierce easily with the tip of a knife.
- Serve with a scoop of ice cream or vegan ice cream.Â
Notes
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in a microwave or 350F oven. Serve with ice cream.
Â
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 apple
- Calories: 330
- Sugar: 29.4 g
- Sodium: 4.2 mg
- Fat: 20.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 40.9 g
- Fiber: 8.1 g
- Protein: 3.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Love the dates & Ginger in these. Can’t wait to make them again!
Glad you enjoyed!
This was fantastic. The perfect blend of sweet, tart, and warm spices. It’ll definitely be on repeat at our house.
Awesome Paula, great to hear!
Hi there from across the pond! I want to make this gorgeous looking dessert for my family which includes vegans. To not trip up on the timing, please state which apples you usually prefer to use and/or used here and how long they took to roast until soft. Many thanks.
P.s. I’ll be starting the meal with your Vegan Shepherd’s Pie, it looks totally yummy!
Hi Maggie, Glad you are here! In the notes of the recipe card I just added apple variety suggestions. The softer the apple the faster it will break down. I like to use something in between firm and soft. 🙂 Even the same brand can vary in baking time depending on the freshness of the apple. You also can also bake a couple hours ahead of time and then reheat if desired.
They were yummy! Not too sweet and wholesome
Julie
Thanks Julie!
Excellent recipe with great instructions. Used medium sized honey crisp apples. Baked it for about 50 minutes. Served with ice cream. What a treat!
Thanks Lisa, so glad you enjoyed!
Hi,
I tried making these today and while the the filling turned out great, the apples stayed pretty hard, even after cooking an hour and a half. Should I have added apple juice or, maybe, water to the pan?
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.
Shoot Pete, that is a bummer. The type of apple does make a difference. A good baking apple should break down more easily. Though adding water or apple juice is a really good idea!