Old Fashioned Baked Apples
Cozy like a hug, old fashioned baked apples with cinnamon and nutmeg are an easy, comforting dessert. Super fresh fall apples are hollowed out and filled with brown sugar, spices, raisins or dried berries, and butter and baked until tender. Serve this maximum impact dessert that takes minimum effort with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of whipped cream, or a glug of heavy cream.
Ingredients
- 4 tart baking apples
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup raisins or any dried berries or cherries
- 1/4 cup softened butter divided
- 1 cup boiling water
- vanilla ice cream whipped cream, or heavy cream for serving.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F with a rack positioned in the middle. See Notes!
- Use a fork to mash together half of the butter with the brown sugar, raisins or dried berries, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl.
- Use a sharp paring knife to remove the stem and top part of the core, but leave the apple intact at the bottom. Use a small spoon to scoop out the remaining core and seeds.
- Stuff the butter and sugar mixture into the apples, then arrange them in a baking dish. Dot the top of each apple with the remaining butter.
- Pour the boiling water around the apples in the baking.
- Bake, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes or until the apples are very soft and easily pierced with a knife, but not disintegrating.
- Serve apples hot or warm with a scoop of ice cream, dollop of whipped cream, or glug of heavy cream, as desired.
Notes
The positioning of the rack in the oven determines how caramelized your sugar will get on top of the apples. I like mine to have a creme brulée type crisp layer, so I position my rack in the middle of the oven. If you do not want "burnt sugar" caramelized top, lower your rack to the bottom third of the oven.
Because all apples are different sizes and different varieties cook more quickly or slowly, the cooking time is an estimate. You will want to start checking smaller apples around the 30 minute mark and very large or dense apples may take longer.
Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers in a heat-safe dish covered with foil in a preheated 350ºF oven just until hot all the way through, or in a covered but vented microwave safe bowl for about 2-3 minutes. Microwave strengths vary quite a bit, so take that into account when reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 277kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 1gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 102mgPotassium: 294mgFiber: 5gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 454IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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