Stuffed Baked Apples (How to Bake Apples)

These Stuffed Baked Apples are the easiest fall treat. Recipe can be adapted to feed a big crowd, or can be a simple weeknight treat for one or two.

It’s inevitable as the passage of time – toward the end of the winter, I start to long for spring and summer food. And toward the end of the summer, I start to long for fall and winter food.

Even though we’ve had record warm October days in Michigan recently, the calendar still says it’s fall, so I’ve been longing for carrot apple soup, my mom’s cottage cheese lasagna, crackers with savory pumpkin dip and anything involving apples for weeks now. I love you, summer, but I’ve had enough buttermilk grilled chicken for now.

Other than a Halloween charcuterie board, nothing says “autumn” to me more than going to an apple orchard, eating warm donuts with cider for lunch, and buying way, way more apples than my family of three realistically needs.

Then spending the next month putting apples in everything I eat (even on a butter board) to prove to myself that buying all those apples was a great idea. These walnut stuffed baked apples are one of my favorite simple apple desserts, especially when paired with Michigan’s own Hudsonville Ice Cream.

The best part is that the recipe can easily be adapted to feed a big crowd, or can be prepared as a simple weeknight sweet treat for one or two. They’re even a great addition to your Thanksgiving recipes list, as a unique alternative to traditional apple pie (try a batch of Thanksgiving Rice Krispies treats, too).

How to prepare the apples for this baked apple recipe:

While my apple rose tart is undeniably beautiful, it’s certainly a lot of work. This stuffed baked apple recipe is the complete opposite. In fact, you don’t even need to peel the apples!

All you need to do is use a sharp knife to cut about 1/2 inch off of the top of each apple.

And then, using a melon baller if you have one (but a small spoon honestly works just as well), you’re going to be scooping out the seeds, any remaining stem, and some of the center of the apple to make way for the filling.

You don’t want to scoop out TOO much, because you want to leave some apple flesh for eating! Try to leave about 1/2-inch thickness on all sides of the apple while scooping out all of the core and seeds. Then you’re ready to stuff them!

Make the filling with walnuts or another nut:

Most baked apple recipes use oats, but mine does not. I wanted to make my filling very nutty (plus, the ice cream I topped my apples with had oat crumbles in it!).

These easy baked apples are so nutty that my husband said these tasted like stuffed apples filled with candied walnuts (which is essentially what they are, honestly).

To make the filling, you’ll be tossing chopped walnuts with brown sugar, raisins (I like golden raisins, but traditional are good as well), cubed butter, and those classic fall baking spices – cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves (if you love these spices check out my recipe for melomakarona (Greek honey cookies).

Simply toss everything together and then use a spoon to stuff it into the hollowed out apples!

If you’re not a fan of walnuts, don’t worry. Just like my pear muffins, these stuffed baked apples are also delicious when made with pecans or almonds.

How long to bake stuffed baked apples?

Baking time depends on the size of the apples you use. I suggest “regular” sized Gala apples (NOT the lunchbox size) for this recipe.

However, if you have already purchased the lunchbox size and want to make this recipe, you definitely can! You will probably need about 6 lunchbox size apples to accommodate the filling I’ve developed for 4 regular sized Galas.

Baking time will depend on the size of your apples, but 30 to 40 minutes at 375 degrees F is usually about right for regular sized apples (just enough time to make and enjoy an apple cider old fashioned or cardamom tea latte). You want to bake until the apples are tender but not totally mushy.

If you’re using lunchbox size, I would suggest checking your apples for tenderness after about 25 minutes.

Serve these easy baked apples with Hudsonville Ice Cream!

Just about everything, including malted waffles and brioche French toast is better topped with a scoop of Hudsonville Ice Cream, and this stuffed baked apple recipe is no exception!

Hudsonville Ice Cream’s fall Limited Edition flavor, Baked Apple Crisp is apple pie flavored ice cream filled with apple pieces, crispy oat crumbles and a dulce de leche swirl.

This ice cream tastes like a Midwest autumn afternoon in a bowl, basically! It’s amazing with these easy baked apples, but also such a tasty treat on its own when you don’t want to bake anything at all.

All of Hudsonville Ice Cream’s Limited Edition flavors are seasonal and only available for a short time, so you’ll want to pick this one up as soon as possible! If you can’t find this flavor, one of Hudsonville’s creamy and classic vanilla flavors like Creamery Blend Vanilla would be a great option.

Hudsonville Ice Cream can be found in most grocery stores in Michigan and throughout the Midwest.

Check the Scoop Locator on Hudsonville’s website so you can be sure to find which store near you carries this Baked Apple Crisp ice cream. Also, be sure to connect with Hudsonville Ice Cream on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Can I make baked apple halves for a smaller portion?

These stuffed baked apples are a pretty big dessert! For a smaller portion, you can use lunchbox sized apples (again, the filling recipe below would probably require 6 lunchbox sized apples in place of 4 regular sized apples).

Or, another super simple way to make a smaller portion is to make baked apple HALVES! To prepare baked apple halves, simply cut each apple in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and core to form a little apple bowl.

Divide the filling into the apple halves and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender.

How to adapt this recipe for more or less portions:

The stuffed baked apple recipe as written below makes 4 baked apples. For a larger crowd, simply double everything about the recipe.

For a treat for two, cut every ingredient in half.

And if you want just 1 baked apple, please use the following amounts for the filling: 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons walnuts, 1 tablespoon raisins, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ginger, pinch nutmeg, very small pinch cloves.

Can stuffed baked apples be frozen?

I wouldn’t recommend freezing these easy baked apples. I think the texture will suffer and they might not turn out as well as you would like them to.

If you’d like to save time and make this baked apple recipe into a bit more of a make ahead recipe (perhaps for Thanksgiving), I would recommend preparing the mixture in Step 1 and keeping it in the fridge. Then, on the day you want to serve these, proceeding with the rest of the steps.

If you’re like me, and you just bought way, way too many apples at the orchard, HGTV has a nice article about how to freeze apples that you may find helpful.

Note: This recipe was originally published in 2013. The post was updated in 2021 to be more informational, and the photos were reshot. The original photo appears below.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hudsonville Ice Cream. Sponsored posts help me pay for the costs associated with this blog (groceries…lots of groceries), and help support me as I pursue a career in recipe development and food photography. All opinions are 100% my own.