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Mini Apple Crisp Baked Apples

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The perfect individual sized dessert, these mini apple crisp baked apples are the perfect mix of baked apples and crisp topping. Serve it with a scoop of ice cream for a perfect dessert!

apple half baked with crisp topping inside and topped with a scoop of ice cream and drizzle of caramel

Are they a baked apple or apple crisp? These fun desserts are a little bit of both.

Tasty baked apples topped with crunchy brown sugar and oat topping. They are perfect individually sized treats that might just become your favorite fall dessert.

Baked apples have a bit of an inside joke with my husband and his friends. For a cookout many moons ago, he picked up a bag of apples to make a treat for everyone.

He carefully wrapped the apples in foil and put them over a fire. Yep. Whole wrapped apples wrapped in foil.

bowl of crisp topping with whole apples around it.

He could have cored them and put some butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in them, but he didn’t. He could have sliced them and given them a similar treatment in a skillet, but again he didn’t.

In all fairness, this was long before he met me. I’m sure he would have known better otherwise.

To say the results were underwhelming seems to be an understatement. The guys still love to laugh about it to this day.

apples halved and cored getting filled with crisp mixture in pan

Apparently that was just the start of a while conversation of ideas related to the apples. A conversation that may or may not have been fueled by an adult beverage or two.

Either way, it is always a source of entertainment and belly laughs when it comes up. I would like to say that inspired him to perfect the art of actually making an edible baked apple, but it hasn’t.

So baked apples are my department and honestly I’m ok with it staying that way! These baked apple halves are the perfect size to indulge a bit without going overboard.

apple crisp baked apples fresh from the oven with golden brown sugar and oatmealfilling

I go crazy buying apples when the season finally comes around.  There is nothing like coming home with a bag of freshly picked apples.

We all love them, so sometimes I have to be protective of my treasure.  Otherwise we can gobble them up in no time.

So I set a few aside for recipe creation and quickly hid a few in the back of the crisper drawer. My lunchbox was quite happy I did too.

Those beauties really were a highlight of lunch while they lasted!

They have such a beautiful flavor, I didn’t want to go crazy hiding it with other ingredients. Instead I just cut them in half, scooped out the core and stuffed them with the ingredients you’d find in a typical apple crisp.

apple crisp baked apple with bite on fork and scoop of vanilla ice cream

After all they are a classic for a reason. The results were amazing! The apples were fork tender, but not mushy.

The topping was sweet and golden and crunchy. They were fabulous on their own, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce certainly didn’t hurt them.

Little Dude is always an excellent helper in the kitchen. He put together the topping and helped the apple scraps find their way to the compost bin.

Then he helped fill the apples. We both anxiously waited for the timer to buzz. The house smelled so good and we could not wait to sink our teeth into one.

They were worth the wait! My husband had been napping on the couch and rose from the dead as soon as he heard the rattle of plates.

He knew he had better make his way to the table asap! We all agreed that this is definitely the proper way to bake an apple!

close up of an apple half transformed into a mini apple crisp baked apple with a drizzle of caramel sauce

I hope you have been enjoying all the apple recipes so far this week. Which ones have been your favorites so far?

I’d love to know if you’ve made any #appleweek recipes you loved, from this year or years past.

What kind of apples are good for baking?

Some apples work better for baking then others.  There are varieties that are more likely to hold their shape through the baking and others that are more likely to turn to mush.

Luckily the mush will likely be delicious, but not idea for pretty presentation!  So here are a few varieties that hold up and present well:

Jonagold apples are great for baking.  They are one of my favorite apples to get at our local orchard.  They work perfect for recipes like this because they are fabulous on their own and bake well.  They don’t store as well though, so enjoy them during the peak of the season.

Jonagolds are a mix between Jonathan and golden delicious.  Jonathan’s themselves are a great baking apple and tend to be just a tad bit more tart than the Jonagold. Both are crisp, delicious and great for cooking with. 

Braeburn apples are another flavorful apple in their own right, so they are perfect for a recipe like this where the apples are the star of the show.

Pink Ladies are a fabulous option.  They have that mix of sweet and tart and hold their shape wonderfully.

Honeycrisp apples are basically the be all end all of apples.  They are wonderful in almost any situation, especially if that situation involves some oatmeal streusel and a scoop of ice cream.

Granny Smith apples are sort of the classic baking apple.  They are naturally tart, so the finished product doesn’t end up too sweet. 

The skins on granny Smith apples do tend to be a little tougher than the rest, but it certainly isn’t a deal breaker.  You may want to reserve them for something like a pie though, so you can remove the peel.

More apple varieties to try in baking: Fuji, crispin, golden delicious, and winesnap.

Yield: 8 Servings

Mini Apple Crisp Baked Apples

pan filled with baked apple halves topped with oatmeal mixture

Are they a baked apple or apple crisp? These fun desserts are a little bit of both. Tasty baked apples topped with crunchy brown sugar and oat topping. They are perfect individually sized treats that might just become your favorite fall dessert.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2/3 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • dash nutmeg
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 large baking apples
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

  1. In a large oven proof skillet, melt butter.
  2. Pour melted butter into a medium mixing bowl and add brown sugar, flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of salt.
  3. Mix ingredients until combined.
  4. Wash apples and cut in half through the stem. Use a spoon, small knife or melon baller to remove the core.
  5. Place apples, skin side down in the skillet. It should already be greased from melting the butter.
  6. Stuff the apples with the filling mixture, pressing lightly to keep it in place. Pour the water around the apples.
  7. Cover tightly and bake at 375° F for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 30-40 minutes more or until the apples reach your desired consistency. They should be fork tender but not mushy.
  8. Serve with ice cream and a drizzle of caramel if desired.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 208Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 89mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 4gSugar: 19gProtein: 2g

All nutritional information is estimated and will depend on the exact ingredients you use.

Did you make this recipe?

I'd love to see it! Share a picture on Instagram or Pinterest and tag me @carleecooks to let me know how it went!

More great apple & oat recipes

The combination of apples and oatmeal is such a classic. Here are some more great ways to take those two fabulous ingredients and turn them into something wonderful!

Are they a baked apple or apple crisp? These fun desserts are a little bit of both. Tasty baked apples topped with crunchy brown sugar and oat topping. They are perfect individually sized treats that might just become your favorite fall dessert.

Thanks for sharing!

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Zipp

Saturday 25th of February 2023

These are WILDLY delicious. I was craving something sweet, realized I had the basics for this recipe, and went to work. Family loved it, and I’m already planning when I’m going to make them again!

Carlee

Saturday 25th of February 2023

That makes me so happy!

Eclectic Red Barn

Friday 9th of August 2019

Carlee, I am drooling over here. These look amazing. Congrats, you are being featured on Happiness Is Homemade this Saturday. https://eclecticredbarn.blogspot.com/2019/08/happiness-is-homemade_10.html Have a great weekend. Hugs, Bev

Anonymous

Wednesday 10th of October 2018

Oh this looks heavenly, Carlee! Sign me up immediately. Thank you so much for sharing with us at the Whimsical Wednesdays Link Party! Have a great week!

Carlee

Tuesday 16th of October 2018

Come on over and I'll make them for you any time!

Amy

Monday 8th of October 2018

To me, this is one of those to die for recipes. Your pictures made it even more so. I am going to make these. Thank you for sharing.

Carlee

Tuesday 16th of October 2018

They are so good and fun to make and eat too. We are definitely having them a few more times before fall is over!

Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies

Sunday 7th of October 2018

I've never had a baked apple! These look absolutely fantastic and make me question why I've not tried them. By the way... fabulous story about your husbands earlier attempts! Sounds like something my husband might have tried!!

Carlee

Monday 8th of October 2018

It's a good thing they have us (and we should probably remind them of that!)

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