Ooey-gooey caramel- and nut-filled apples bake up in 20 minutes or only 2 minutes. Three easy ways to turn apples into a (healthy!) dessert.
It’s Healthy Kitchen Hacks Wednesday – the day we share our favorite time-saving kitchen tricks and cooking shortcuts to help you make healthy and delicious meals.
You can see all our Healthy Kitchen Hacks here. To get exclusive healthy kitchen hacks – only available to our email subscribers – sign up HERE.
It’s apple season. And while applesauce is a great snack, baked apples are dessert!
And this apple season, I resolve to bake more apples. They are soooo good – even if you don’t top them with ice cream or whipped cream. Just a small amount of butter and sugar turns to ooey-gooey apple-flavored caramel after just a few minutes in the microwave or the oven. And don’t forget how bubbly and apple-pie-like the soft apple gets!
I found two hacks make Baked Apples a breeze.
Hack #1: Remove the entire apple core. Do not leave even a little bit of the apple center on the bottom as many recipes suggest. Your filling will not fall out of the apples!
Hack #2: For all baked apple recipes use the same formula for filling 1 apple. See my recipe for Baked Apple Filling in the recipe below this post.:
These baked apples are rich in nutrition (and low in calories with only 178 calories per apple).
- Fiber – thanks to 3 grams in the apple and 3 grams in the nuts and raisins
- Plant antioxidants – in the nuts, raisins and apples
1. Microwave-Mug Baked Apples
Spray the inside of a coffee mug with cooking spray. Fill 1 apple with the below Baked Apple Filling. Don’t cover. Microwave on HIGH for about 2 minutes. Enjoy!
2. Baked Apples in a Baking Pan
Spray an 8-inch square baking pan or glass baking dish to bake 4 apples, or a 2 quart baking dish to bake 6 apples. Multiply the Baked Apple Filling by 4 or 6. Bake in a 350° oven for 40-45 minutes until soft and filling is bubbly.
3. Baked Apples in a Pottery Apple Baker
If you can find one of these apple bakers, they are magic! They cut the baking time of apples in half – and they keep all the caramely-filling inside the apple. And you don’t even have to spray it with cooking spray.
And we’re giving away two of these fabulous apple bakers from Teaspoon Of Spice fan DowntoEarthenware Pottery. Head over to our Facebook page by Friday September 28 at 11:59 pm to enter to win!
Just fill the core of the apple with Baked Apple Filling and bake for only 20 minutes.
3 Easy Ways to Make Baked Apples – Bake in 20 minutes or only 2 minutes in the microwave! #HealthyKitchenHacks @TspCurry Click To Tweet
Have you gone apple picking yet this year? Will you make Baked Apples?
Description
Use this filling to make ooey-gooey, caramel-filled Microwave-Mug Baked Apples or Oven-Baked Apples.
- 1 tablespoon chopped pecans or other nuts
- 1 tablespoon raisins
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar or other sweetener
- ½ teaspoon butter
- Couple shakes of cinnamon
Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl. Fill a cored apple with the filling.
Microwave on high for 2 minutes or bake in a greased pan in a 350-degree F oven for 30 minutes.
