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Baked Apples are the five-ingredient dessert that makes the whole house smell like fall, tender apple halves cupping pools of melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and they are what I make on busy October weeknights when Maddie and Lizzie want dessert but I do not want a project. If you are after something with a little more structure, our apple hand pies wrap the same flavors in flaky crust.
Five minutes of prep and the oven does everything else.
Baked Apples Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 50 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 129kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Warm cinnamon brown sugar over soft, tender baked apple
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, even easier than our apple and blackberry crumble
Quick Answer
Cut baking apples in half lengthwise and scoop out the core and seeds with a melon baller. Place the halves cut side up in a baking dish or cast iron skillet, divide butter between them, then sprinkle each with brown sugar, cinnamon, and a small pinch of salt. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes until the apples are tender, and serve warm with ice cream or caramel.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Halving beats coring whole. Halved apples bake faster, hold their shape, and give every spoonful the perfect ratio of soft apple to buttery filling.
- The cut side cups the topping. Scooping the core leaves a little well that holds the melting butter and brown sugar exactly where you want it.
- Butter bastes as it melts. The butter mingles with the apple juices in the pan, turning into a ready-made caramel-ish sauce for serving.
- A pinch of salt wakes it up. Just a small pinch keeps the brown sugar from tasting flat.
- Firm baking apples hold together. Varieties like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith soften to tender without collapsing into applesauce.
- Low effort, big payoff. Five ingredients and five minutes of prep deliver a dessert that tastes like apple pie filling.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Just 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of hands-on prep.
- They taste like the inside of an apple pie without making a crust.
- They are the easy cousin of our apple and blackberry crumble, no topping to mix.
Key Ingredients
Five simple ingredients, most already in your kitchen.
- Baking apples: Firm varieties like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Braeburn hold their shape in the oven. Soft apples like Red Delicious turn mushy.
- Unsalted butter: Melts into the scooped centers and bastes the apples as they bake.
- Light brown sugar: Two teaspoons per half caramelizes into a syrupy, molasses-kissed topping.
- Ground cinnamon: The essential warm spice. Add a pinch of nutmeg too if you like.
- Kosher salt: Just a pinch to balance all that sweetness.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Dress these baked apples up however you like.
- Sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts over the tops for the last 10 minutes of baking.
- Add a spoonful of oats and extra butter to each half for a mini crumble effect.
- Swap the brown sugar for maple syrup or honey.
- Spoon on dulce de leche or caramel after baking, then serve with ice cream like our apple cinnamon coffee cake on special mornings.
How to Make Baked Apples
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the apples in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out the core and seeds from each half, a melon baller makes this easy.
- Place the apples cut side up in a baking dish or cast iron skillet.
- Divide the butter between the apples, then sprinkle each with 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a light pinch of salt.
- Bake for 45 minutes until the apples are tender when pierced with a knife.
- Serve warm with caramel sauce, ice cream, or whipped cream.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Pick firm, crisp apples. Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Braeburn bake up tender without falling apart.
- Use a melon baller to core. It scoops a clean, even well in seconds without cutting through the apple.
- Do not peel the apples. The skin holds each half together as it softens.
- Bake cut side up so the butter and sugar melt down into the apple instead of the pan.
- Check at 40 minutes. Apples vary, they are done when a knife slides in with just a little resistance.
- Spoon the pan juices over the top before serving, that buttery cinnamon syrup is liquid gold.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Serve these baked apples warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the cinnamon butter, or keep it simple with a dollop of whipped cream.
They are the perfect low-effort finish to a fall dinner, and they make a cozy breakfast treat next to a slice of our apple cinnamon coffee cake or a warm pumpkin cinnamon roll.
For a holiday dessert board, set them out with our apple hand pies and a loaf of pumpkin bread.
Store leftover baked apples covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave for about a minute or in a 325 degree oven until warmed through, they reheat beautifully and the syrup gets even better overnight.
Baked Apples FAQs
Firm, crisp varieties hold their shape best. Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Braeburn, and Pink Lady are all excellent. Granny Smith gives you a tart contrast to the brown sugar, while Honeycrisp bakes up sweeter. Skip soft apples like Red Delicious or McIntosh, which collapse into mush.
No, leave the skin on. The peel acts like a little bowl that holds each apple half together as the flesh softens. It also adds color and a slight chew. If you prefer softer skin, score it lightly around the edge before baking.
About 45 minutes for halved apples at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Start checking at 40 minutes, they are done when a paring knife slides into the thickest part with just slight resistance. Whole cored apples take closer to 60 minutes.
Either the variety was too soft or they baked too long. Stick with firm baking apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith and pull them when just fork-tender. Remember they keep cooking a little from residual heat after they leave the oven.
Yes. Bake them fully, cool, and refrigerate covered for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for about a minute or in a 325 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes. You can also prep the halves and topping a few hours ahead, brush the cut sides with lemon juice to prevent browning.
Vanilla ice cream is the classic, the hot-cold combination is unbeatable. Whipped cream, caramel sauce, dulce de leche, or a drizzle of heavy cream are all wonderful. For breakfast, try them over oatmeal, yogurt, or pancakes with the pan syrup spooned on top.
Made these Baked Apples? I would love to hear how they turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below!
Love baked apple flavor? Our glazed apple bread packs it into every slice.
For more caramelized fruit magic, try our banana pudding pie.
Baked Apples
Ingredients
- 2 baking apples
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cut apples in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out core and seeds, I used a melon baller.
- Place apples cut side up in a baking dish or cast iron skillet.
- Divide the butter between the apples then sprinkle each apple with 2 teaspoons of the brown sugar 1/8 teaspoon of the cinnamon then lightly sprinkle the tops with the pinch of salt.
- Bake for 45 minutes until apples are tender.
- Serve with caramel sauce, ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
- This makes a small batch, it can easily be doubled.
- Top with your favorite toppings, see my suggestions above.
- Use a nice tart apple like Granny Smith like we do, some other apple choices I have stated above.
- If you want a richer flavor you can swap out the light brown sugar for dark brown.
- Add some apple pie spice instead of cinnamon to make this taste even more amazing.
Nutrition
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