Sweet, plump, juicy Baked Apples that makes its own caramel sauce!! Just fill halved apples with a simple nut, butter and sugar spiced filling, bake for 40 minutes, and it comes out sitting in a pool of bubbling caramel sauce. It’s like…. magic!
This is a terrific quick and easy dessert for assembling ahead then popping in the oven while you’re eating dinner. Just don’t forget the ice cream!
Today’s recipe is brought into this world courtesy of Modi Apples, bright red balls with a hint of yellow full of crisp juiciness with fabulous apple flavour!
Baked Apples recipe
I’ve been munching on Modi Apples obsessively since I discovered them which, admittedly, was only a couple of months ago when I was asked to try them.
I feel bad saying this, but I must confess I was a wee bit dubious because for as long as I can remember, I’ve approached store bought apples with caution, knowing that it’s actually quite hard to get really great eating ones here in Australia – or at least, here in Sydney.
How wrong I was.
To everyone who’s bitten into promising looking apples only to be sorely disappointed, meet your new favourite apple – Modi.
They get full marks on my Apple Score Card: super juicy, crisp but not hard, and most importantly for me, they have great flavour, something that most of the main stream apples lack.
Added bonus: it’s a good snacking size, a bit smaller than most apples. If you’re looking at my hand for size context, remember what my friends call me – Baby Hands. 😂
With apples this good, I wanted to make something real quick ‘n easy and so sinfully delicious, you’ll want to make this over and over again.
So this is what I came up with – Baked Apples.
But these are not your usual Baked Apples. 🙂 These are self saucing. As in –when you pull this out of the oven, those apples are sitting in a pool of bubbling caramel.
How to make Caramel Baked Apples
Cut apples in half and scoop out core. Fill with a sugar, butter, walnut spiced mixture, piling it high to make a nice mound of the filling. Mix together cornflour/cornstarch and water, then pour this into the pan.
After 40 minutes in the oven, some of the butter and sugar in the filling melts down and through the apples and into the pan and creates a caramel sauce. It’s like…magic!
Want extra caramel sauce? Make some Salted Caramel Sauce!
What kind of apples are best for baked apples?
Any apples are suitable for making baked apples, it comes down to personal taste. I like to use red apples – any type. If you want a bit of tang, use Granny Smith Apples.
Top with a big scoop of ice cream, or even a dollop of cream. It’s the ultimate combo – sweet, crunch, creamy, warm, cold, creamy…. it’s SO GOOD!! – Nagi x
PS If you’re wondering if baked apples are healthy, well, let’s put it this way. The apple part is healthy. Everything else is not. 😂 But it’s much healthier to have Baked Apples for dessert than a giant slice of Chocolate Fudge Cake or Strawberry Cheesecake!
And remember, everything in moderation right? Good food, good life!
More apple recipes
And more warm desserts for cold winter nights
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Caramel Self Saucing Baked Apples
Ingredients
- 4 apples , juicy ones (Modi red apples are ideal, Note 1)
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
Filling/Sauce:
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans , chopped (or sub with oats)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (or honey or golden syrup)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup brown sugar , packed
- 75 g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Mix Filling ingredients together then set aside while you prep the apples – it will firm up and become scoopable (pop in fridge if its super hot where you are).
- Cut the apples in half through the core then use an ice cream scooper, spoon or small knife to scoop out the core (see video).
- Place apples in a baking dish so they are reasonably snug – you don’t want heaps of space around them. Pile Filling on the apples – I use an ice cream scoop.
- Mix cornflour with a splash of the water, mix to dissolve, then add remaining water. Pour around the apples.
- Cover with foil, bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, then bake a further 20 minutes until the crumb is deep golden and the apples are tender (but not sloppy soft) and there’s a syrupy caramel in the pan (it thickens a bit more when serving).
- To serve, spoon over caramel sauce, then top with ice cream and serve with more sauce!
Recipe Notes:
LIFE OF DOZER
Modi Apple boy!
My dinner guest is dairy intolerant so made it using vitalite, also used half pecans and half rolled oats. My guest absolutely loved it and so did I! Also made it in advance so great when doing a dinner party. Thanks Nagi 😍
That’s great to know Caroline!!
Made this with freshly picked apples and it was amazing! Absolutely delicious with ice cream and the filling is so good, I ate the remainder with raw apples 😀 Thank you!!
Sounds divine!
Can you make this without spices
I have been looking for a Fireball Whisky Baked Apple recipe and just wondering if this would work by adding whisky as a marinade for the apples like they do with the Fireball Grilled Pineapple. Cheers
I have no idea, but I would LOVE to find out!!
Oh my golly gosh – such a simple dessert, that tastes and looks divine! Perfect amount of sweetener and perfect amount of sauce (Do love having lots of sauce on my sweets! so glad i made this……..especially love it when you can make recipes ahead, throw in the oven (after adding the cornstarch) and it comes out to-die-for!! This means i free to socialise with my guests! Made your incredible slow cooker Lemon Chicken with your Crunchy Potatoes and finished off with your Baked Apples! i was a hailed a star – but I divulged to my guests that you really are the talented one!!!!!
You nailed it Joy! I’m so happy that your guests loved it all!
We started off the New Year with this yummy dessert! I was delighted with the quick preparation. My apples (Pink Lady) were larger and had to cook longer, but still very good. The sweetness and spice in the sauce is perfect! Definitely a keeper!
Woot! Perfect to start the year!
I made this for dessert last night and we both loved it. I used one of our favorite Jazz apples, and had to bake it longer, but it was worth the wait. I almost went with honey instead of maple because maple can overpower other flavors sometimes, but not here, it stayed in the background, accenting the cinnamon and cloves. The caramel sauce wasn’t cloying, it was light and not too sweet. Perfect! You never let me down!
Aside from the crunchy topping and wonderful sauce, my favorite thing was how easy it was to prep in advance. I love prepping dinner in bits and pieces during the day, it makes dinnertime a breeze, and I don’t have to spend an hour on my feet at the end of the day. I win!
I love your thinking with making dinner in bits and pieces, so you’re not standing for that hour + at the end of the day then have everyone come to sit and eat then leave the table not thinking just how long it really took to make a lovely dinner. Making anything from Nagi’s site is always a “win – win” and pleases everybody everytime. Thank you Nagi.
LOVE HEARING THAT!!!!! I love the caramel sauce in this, especially that it isn’t sickeningly sweet! 🙂 N x
Made this tonight – so easy worked perfectly – the sauce was fabulous. Everyone commented! Another winner Nagi!!
Has anyone tried (or know if it would work) replacing the butter for something like Nuttelex? I’d love to make this for my friend who is allergic to dairy.
Looks so yummy Nagi!
Hi Lauren! I haven’t tried it but I’m pretty sure it will work great! I used to cook a lot with margarine instead of butter 🙂
Made these last night. Judged a winner by the ‘usual suspects’ – delicious. I used Granny Smith apples and cooked for a little bit longer (30 mins) for each stage to account for their firmness. I was a little skeptical about the method of making the sauce, but it worked a treat. So simple and versatile. Thanks!
Whoot! So pleased you enjoyed this Katharine! I made this with pears yesterday, worked so well! N xx
Great recipe Nagi!
Your filling will also be a great addition for acorn squash..
I will sub the cloves for ginger in the squash..
Thanks 🙂
I never would have thought of that, what a great idea! Thanks Mary! N x
Hi Nagi, You really need to go to Tassie or even Batlow in NSW if you think Australia doesn’t have great apples. Both these places will revise your opinion. I haven’t tried or seen Modi apples, but Tassie has some wonderful apple varieties that don’t make it to the supermarkets, and for a foodie, there are also lots of other great discoveries awaiting you! Cheers
Oh no, I think that we have some AMAZING apples here in Australia. The “problem” is that most apples made widely available to ordinary folk like myself who mostly shops at grocery stores aren’t the best – at least, not when you’ve tried a really great one. The few times the apple man has been at the local markets, that’s when I’m reminded how great apples really should be!!! So I guess where I’m coming from is that in terms of apples sold at supermarkets, Modi is by far the best I’ve found and I’m so excited that a great apple variety is now easily accessible to everyone 🙂 PS I am planning to be down in Tassie in a couple of months, I have some great friends down there who are hassling me to come down! I can’t wait!! Truly believe some of Australia’s best produce is from Tassie. N x
I agree, supermarket apples aren’t as nice as the lovely fresh ones from the orchards. Yes, go to Tassie, you will really appreciate the standard of fresh produce and the range of value added products they are producing. Enjoy!
I’m not familiar with Modi apples, but they are a pretty apple! Are they sold in the US? I am familiar with the Honey Crisps another reader mentioned, and my husband buys those a lot. No cookbook I’ve ever read, nor any baking books either, ever recommend MacIntosh apples for baking, but in this Old Yankee corner of the Northeastern US, there are literally legions of us who prefer Macs for baking, and especially for pies. And, we sometimes like our MacIntosh pies served with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese, or with cheddar cheese in the pie crust. Mac apple pie squares with cornflakes in the crust are popular, too.
I would certainly try Modi apples if they are sold in the US–they look good! Managed to score some Cotton Candy grapes yesterday! (Cotton Candy = Candy Floss). If anyone has been searching for the grapes, I’ve read Costco is now selling them.
I will find out! I had a look at the website and it seems like it is but I am not 100% sure. Candy Floss GRAPES??? What one earth is that??!! N xx
Those are the authentic grapes in the video. The authentic ones I just got were a huge disappointment, sadly! They were sweet, but they didn’t have the cotton candy/candy floss flavor at all. (What is that candy flavor…a hint of raspberry?) Maybe they are producing them too fast now to keep up with the huge demand, maybe they lost flavor on the 3K mile journey here, or maybe the grocer had stored them incorrectly? Hoping I’ll be able to score some good ones at another store this season, but they’re hard to find, and sell out almost instantly.
Nagi, there’s a short video from the makers of the Cotton Candy grapes on YouTube.
OMG! We definitely don’t have anything like that here! At least, not to my knowledge 🙂
Unfortunately out of the several hundreds of varieties of apples, you will only find a few in the US that have a long storage life. My favorite is called the Arkansas Black which is only available for about 1 month in the fall. Very few stores even carry them so I usually go to the source …. Road trip to Apple Hill near Camino California.
I love that you have a favourite apple that is available only for such a short time 🙂 Makes it extra special! It’s like the Modi apples I use here, they are only available for 3 months. N x
Made these for dessert tonight and what a win! The sauce was perfect, the apples warm and sweet and vanilla ice cream was the final glory. Already printed off and into my book of “keeper” recipes. Can’t wait to try this with peaches. Yum.
I LOVE HEARING THAT!!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this Carol, thanks! N xx
What is ‘cornflour’?
Hi Janet! It’s cornstarch :0 Sorry! I’ve added to recipe! N x
A thickener aka corn starch. You can also substitute arrowroot.
Yes! Thank you Eva, I have now updated the recipe 🙂 N x
Yes! Like! Me! . . . . The sugar and butter are ‘there’ in such small amounts it really does not matter per person . . . methinks a tad more cloves and cinnamon for my first try . . . . OK! OK – probably some frozen yogurt for me alongside . . .
YES! You got it Eha 🙂 This is probably the “healthiest” dessert on my site! N x
I hunted down Modi apples to make this. Alas! One was rotten inside – smelled and looked right at buying. luckily I had a Pink Lady in the fruit bowl. Both apples worked well though the Modi has a more even shape to cut in half. We all really liked it, but I felt it was missing acidity, so I’ll make it with lemon or orange juice squeezed over the next time – maybe some rind in the mix as well.
Made this sensationally clever dessert again the other day and added the juice of half a lemon- 1/4-ish hand squeezed into the nut mix and the rest hand squeezed randomly over the apples and ‘sauce’ mix just before putting it into the oven. Also added 1/4 tsp of vanilla essence to the nut mix. It worked well- changed the flavour quite a bit, but definitely didn’t damage the original; worth a try if you enjoy the citrus tang.
I really dislike cloves – what else would you suggest?
Hi Ruth! Bruce’s suggestion is great – a little pinch of fresh nutmeg, otherwise, just leave cloves out! N x
Maybe a little fresh nutmeg? Clove can be over powering for sure!
I have never seen Modi apples here in Ontario Canada. They sound a lot like Honey Crisp Apples, they have a really short season so are super expensive but it is so worth the money spent on them. Crisp and juicy and come in various sizes.
Apples and caramel just go together
Delicious looking recipe a must try.
Thank you for posting it.
Cat
Actually yes! They are quite similar to honey crisp – maybe a touch less sweet though 🙂 But similar texture and juiciness! N xx
Thanks!! Good to know
that’s a lot of sugar. what’s the breakdown?
Hi Jennifer! It works out at less than 1 tbsp sugar per piece which I didn’t actually think was that bad! Unfortunately I don’t recommend reducing the sugar because otherwise it might compromise on how the sauce thickens 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi.
Baked Apples Recipe.
As I’m a diabetic, what can I substituted for the brown sugar and maple syrup please ?
Thank you Nagi. I will try it on a small portion first.
Annette
I haven’t tried it, but maybe coconut palm sugar would work as a brown sugar substitute here? They say it’s somewhat better for diabetics?
Hi Annette! I’m so terribly sorry, I can’t think of a substitute 🙁 They are needed to get the consistency of the sauce right. I’m so sorry 🙁 N x
Baked apples? Looks pretty good Nagi! My favourite apples at the moment are Envy apples…..very tasty!!
Ooh yes! Envy apples are great too 🙂 Try the Modi, they really are amazing! N xx
Haven’t seen any Modi’s…..but I’ll try one if I ever do.
Hi Wanda! Are you in Canada? If so, I was just saying to another reader that Honey Crisps are pretty similar 🙂 N x
Yes I’m in Canada. Thanks for the suggestion. I love Honey Crisps too!