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Simple baked apple slices are made with fresh, sweet and tart apples and a warm cinnamon spice blend. While these apples bake they create their own spiced caramel sauce that is perfect for drizzling over the top. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the perfect cozy Fall dessert.

Baking dish filled with baked apples swimming in a cinnamon spiced syrup and topped with vanilla ice cream.


 

Sliced & Spiced

Author sitting at table smiling

When fall rolls in and brings that cool, crisp air, there’s something magical about warm baked apples.

Whether you’re serving them whole or sliced, they turn out tender, juicy, and absolutely full of cozy, cinnamon-spiced goodness. For this recipe, I like to keep things simple by slicing the apples, making them easy to eat and perfect for a family dessert.

And when you pair these sweet, caramelized apples with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream—well, that’s the ultimate fall treat right there. Trust me, you’ll be reaching for seconds before you know it!

Why We Love this REcipe

  • Quick: 10 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of baking makes this a perfect easy family dessert recipe. 
  • Simple ingredients: this recipe uses mostly pantry ingredients. This is a great dessert recipe to use those fresh Fall apples.
  • Easier than pie: this dish is everything you love about homemade apple pie without the hassle of a pie crust!

Ingredients Needed

Ingredients needed to make baked apples laid out on the counter.
  • Apples: use a combination of sweet and tart. Best options include: Honeycrisp (sweet), Gala (sweet), Granny Smith (tart).
  • Lemon: the lemon juice adds a bit of acidity to help balance out the sweetness of the dish.
  • Spices: this recipe uses cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Other spices you may like to try include: ginger, allspice, cardamom.

Variations

  • Add-ins: Stir in some raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped pecans for extra texture.
  • Spice it up: Add some nutmeg, cloves, or even a pinch of chili powder for a bit of heat.
  • Instead of butter you can use coconut oil making this a dairy-free, vegan recipe.
  • Lemon: Swap this out and use orange juice instead.

Apple Varieties

Here’s some popular apple varieties for baking, including their flavor profiles and textures after baking:

  • Granny Smith: Very tart with firm texture; holds up well in baking.
  • Honeycrisp: Sweet-tart balance; stays fairly crisp but softens slightly.
  • Golden Delicious: Mildly sweet; softens considerably but not mushy.
  • Braeburn: Sweet with tart, spicy notes; stays firm after baking.
  • Pink Lady: Sweet with a tart edge; firm and holds its shape.
  • Jonagold: Sweet-tart blend; softens slightly but holds shape.

How to make Baked Apples Step-By-Step

Find the complete recipe card below with measurements and full instructions.

How to make baked apples, showing slicing the apples and coating in the cinnamon mixture.
  1. Peel and core the apples. Then slice, make sure the slices are 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. If the slices are too thin they will bake too quickly and turn to mush.
  2. Combine the apples with the spices.
How to make baked apples, showing adding apples to baking dish and then topping with slices of butter before baking.
  1. Spread the coated apples evenly into a baking dish.
  2. Lay the cubes of butter on the very top before baking, this helps to create that luscious cinnamon caramel sauce that you want to drizzle over the top.
  3. Bake until tender. Be sure to stir every 15 minutes during baking to avoid drying out the top layer.

Serving

  • These baked apples are perfect with vanilla ice cream or caramel drizzle for dessert.
  • Try them over oatmeal or yogurt for breakfast, or serve as a sweet side with pork chops.
  • Leftovers? Chop them up for apple crisps or pie filling​

Expert Tips

  • Size of the Slice: cut into slices about 1/3 to 1/2 an inch thick. If the slices are too thin they will very quickly turn to mush during baking.
  • Stir during baking: set a timer to stir every 15 minutes during the baking, this helps ensure that the top layer doesn’t dry out during the bake time. Simply stir around and spoon some of the sauce over the top to keep everything tender and moist. 
  • Don’t overbake: the cooked apples should still have a little bite to them and not be baked so long that they become overly soft and mashed. 

Baked Apple FAQs

What are the best apples to use?

A combination of apples for a sweet, tart flavoring works best. Some options include: Honeycrisp (sweet), Gala (sweet), Granny Smith (tart).

Do the apples turn mushy?

No! You control the texture by keeping an eye on the baking time. Check at 30 minutes and continue in 5 minute increments from there. The longer they bake the softer they will be.

Are baked apples still healthy?

Cooked or baked apples still retain most of their nutritional value, they may lose some of their vitamin C however. Keeping the skin on will help retain the fiber of the apple since the fiber is found in the skin.

Bowl of baked apples served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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Easy Baked Apples

4.89 from 9 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Author: Serene
A combination of sweet and tart apples are baked with a cinnamon spice blend until soft and caramelized. Serve with cold vanilla ice cream for a cozy Fall dessert.
Baking dish filled with baked apples swimming in a cinnamon spiced syrup and topped with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients  

  • 3 pounds apples peeled, cored, sliced (favorites include Honeycrisp, Gala, and Granny Smith)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • juice from 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions 

  • Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ degrees.
  • Prepare Apples: Peel the apples, cut and remove the core and cut into slices about 1/3-1/2 an inch thick.
  • Combine Ingredients: Add the apples to a large bowl or you can mix right in a pie dish, or 2 quart baking dish. Add the light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. If using a bowl, spoon the apples into a pie dish or 2 quart baking dish.
  • Butter: Cut the butter into small squares, and place them over the top of the apples.
  • Baking: Bake for 30 minutes, stirring after the apples have baked for 15 minutes. This prevents apples on the top from drying. Bake until the apples are tender and soft.
  • Serve: Remove and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

  • Apples: use a combination of sweet and tart apples. Best options include: Honeycrisp (sweet), Gala (sweet), Granny Smith (tart).
  • Lemon: the lemon juice adds a bit of acidity to help balance out the sweetness of the dish.
  • Spices: this recipe uses cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Other spices you may like to try include: ginger, allspice, cardamom.
  • Apple slices: slice the apples into 1/3 to 1/2 inch sizes, if the sliced too thinly they won’t hold their shape during baking. 
  • Bake time: test the apples texture after 30 minutes, if they have too much bite left and you want them softer bake in additional 5 minute increments to get desired texture. The longer they bake, the softer they become. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Fat: 4g | Sodium: 50mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 33g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

More Apple Desserts

Recipe first published October 2, 2018. Updated August 26, 2022 with new information and images.

Photography by the talented @ModernFarmhouseEats.


Welcome to my kitchen!

Welcome to the House of Yumm!! My name is Serene. I’m the food photographer, recipe developer, and official taste tester around these parts.

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17 Comments

  1. It could be a 5 after i make it and eat. I like it because it is a pie without the pastry. I love pastry, but, it goes to my thighs. My hubby and I will be sure to like this recipe.

  2. We had Granny Smith apples left over after making apple pie for Thanksgiving, so I made this recipe and it was outstanding!

  3. This sounds great. I am trying it tonight. But i do have a question… Can you can this when it is done cooking? I am new to canning and this sounds like exactly what i was thinking about when it came to canning apples.
    Thanks!

  4. So I am currently in the process of making this recipe for a client-slightly altered because the house didnโ€™t have all of the ingredients, but pretty close. I was checking the nutritional content because I have to label the container I put any leftovers in with fat and cholesterol content. I see that the fat content is 4g per serving, but is there any cholesterol?

  5. Good with greek vanilla yogurt too. I made this for my wife with a recent tooth extraction, who couldn’t eat our crisp apples or pears. Threw in some hard blueberries.