Ingredients
Scale
- 4 large, firm fresh apples (such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 4 tsp unsalted butter (one tsp for each apple)
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional: 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- Optional: 1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
Alternative Ingredients
- Apples – Golden Delicious, Gala
- Brown Sugar – Maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, cinnamon sugar
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg – Allspice, clove, pumpkin pie spice
- Walnuts or Pecans – Almonds, hazelnuts
- Raisins or Dried Cranberries – Chopped dried apricots, dates, figs
- Butter – Coconut oil, vegan butter, apple butter
- Boiling Water – Apple juice, cider
Instructions
- Preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- to prepare the whole apples, wash them thoroughly with water, then remove the core from your apples using a small sharp paring knife or apple corer – just make sure not to remove the bottom of the apple, you want to create a well for the filling inside.
- Take a small bowl and combine the dry ingredients: brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, oats, and any other fillings – mix well.
- Take a 1/3 measuring cup and add 1 tsp vanilla extract, then fill the rest with filtered water – set aside for now.
- Spoon the sugar-spice mixture from step 3 into the hollowed-out center of each apple, pressing down slightly to pack it in – then add a bit of the measuring cup mixture from step 4 to each apple on top – lastly, add a piece of butter on top of each apple.
- Use a baking dish that’s just large enough to fit them all and pour boiling water into the bottom of the dish around the apples to create a moist environment, prevent them from drying out, and cook evenly – also, any fluid vanilla extract mix from step 4 that may have leaked past the apples will be mixed with the water making your home smell even better!)
- Bake the apples in the preheated warm oven for 30-40 minutes cooking time, or until the whole baked apples are fork tender – exact baking time will depend on the size, so make sure you’re trying piercing them with a fork around that mark.
- Lastly, before serving, consider making a smoothie or using a scoop of ice cream, some sorbet (I added mango sorbet!) to the side of the apple to eat together with. Alternatively, consider drizzling some chocolate sauce or caramel sauce on top.