Baked Apples with Brown Sugar

Baked apples with brown sugar is the kind of dessert that can easily be whipped up for tonight’s dinner. It’s a simple recipe with simple ingredients but is loved by all.  And it’s a great way to use up those fall and winter apples! They are like little individual apple crumbles but without any fuss and are perfect for a cool autumn day!

The brown sugar filling is packed with hearty oats, butter, cinnamon, sugar and a pinch of nutmeg. It’s everything you love in a crumble topping but is piled high right in the juicy apple itself! Each apple is warm and cozy with rich, nutty flavours. And the brown sugar gives the depth that we all start to crave in the cooler months. Because of that, these baked apples with brown sugar make an autumn dessert not to miss!

Ingredients

• Cortland apples, or any baking apples
• Unsalted butter
• Pecans
• Brown sugar
• Large flaked oats
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg

What are baking Apples?

Besides apples tasting delicious on their own they are also great to bake and cook with. But not all apples can hold heat while baking to keep their shape and texture! Some apples will break down into a sauce.  This is great if that was the plan but not so good if the plan was to make a pie! So, it’s best to know which varieties will hold their shape and firmness during the cooking process. 

Baking Apple Varieties

Baking apples are best for making pies, crisps, and other baked treats. Of course you can use one apple variety for a recipe or try mixing varieties together to take the flavour to new depths! Here are the top varieties of baking apples in Ontario:

• Northern Spy 
• Cortland
• Ginger Gold
• Fuji
• Gala
• Granny Smith
• Mutsu (Crispin)

How to Store Apples  

No one enjoys a soft, mealy apple! So it’s important to store your apples properly to retain that crisp flesh and crunch. According to Ontario Apple Growers here’s how;

• “To keep the crunch in Ontario apples, store them in perforated plastic bags in your refrigerator crisper. Cold, humid storage ensures that apples maintain their crispness, juicy texture and full flavour.”

How To Make Baked Apples with Brown Sugar

Step One: Make your filling, add butter, pecans, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Rub the mixture together into clumps. Set aside. Then, half and core each apple (leaving the bottoms intact). Using a melon baller, scoop out the centre of each apple to create a little well.

Step Two: Place the apples cut side up in a baking dish. Add the filling into the apples. Then, pour approx. 1 inch of water in the bottom of the dish with the apples in it. Bake until the apples are soft and baked all the way through.

Baked Apples with Brown Sugar

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This is a simple recipe to enjoy during the autumn and winter. These baked apples with brown sugar are like little individual apple crumbles without any fuss. The filling is similar to a crumble with oats, nuts and cinnamon. The brown sugar gives this recipe more depth.

• Author: Alie Romano
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Canadian

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 Cortland apples, or any baking apples
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (30 g) pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup large flaked oats
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Set aside a pie dish or an 8×8 baking dish.
2. In a bowl add butter, chopped pecans, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and nutmeg. Then, using your fingers rub the mixture together until all ingredients are well incorporated and starting to clump together. Set aside.
3. Next, half and core each apple, leaving the bottoms intact. Using a small melon baller, scoop out the centre of each apple to create a little well (note: if your apples are browning rub lemon juice over them). See images above for a reference.
4. Place apples cut side up in a pie dish or an 8×8 baking dish.
5. Divide the filling between the prepared apples.
6. Pour approx. 1 inch of water in the bottom of the dish with the apples in it.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the apples are soft and baked all the way through.
8. Serve warm with ice cream.

Notes

The baking time will depend on the size and thickness of your apples. Watch carefully near the end as you don’t want to overbake the apples!

For extra sweetness add more brown sugar to the tops of the apples. Or to elevate the recipe even more add my caramel rum sauce.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: half an apple
• Calories: 183
• Sugar: 17.7g
• Sodium: 44mg
• Fat: 9.8g
• Saturated Fat: 4.1g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 24.7g
• Fiber: 3.7g
• Protein: 1.4g
• Cholesterol: 15mg

Keywords: Baked Apples, Dessert, Simple

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