Cinnamon Baked Apples Recipe
This Cinnamon Baked Apples Recipe features thinly sliced apples tossed in a brown sugar and fall spice medley then baked until fork tender. It’s reminiscent to an apple crisp but without the crumble topping.
Even if you want to make this baked apple recipe simply for the smell, it will be worth it!
There is something magical about the combination of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. You can enjoy these cinnamon baked apples with my homemade vanilla ice cream or you could even use this as filling for an apple pie with my food processor pie crust recipe. It’s also a great topping for my homemade spice cake! It’s also completely delicious to eat by itself, on top of oatmeal or with a salted caramel sauce — guys, the options are endless!
Also, be warned once you toss the apples in the sugar and fall spice mixture you’ll want to eat them all. You’ll be lucky if the apples even make it into the oven. 😂 😍 I was literally slapping wrists trying to keep my 2 boys out of the apples!
Ingredients
- Apples — peel, core and slice the apples in thin slices. You don’t want to bake the apples with skins on. The apple skins become tough and chewy in the oven.
- Brown sugar — any type of brown sugar will do, light or dark (whichever you happen to have on hand).
- Spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves.
- Salt — The magic of salt is that it enhances the flavor of whatever you are eating or making.
- Cornstarch — The cornstarch helps thicken the baked apples so the consistency is slightly thicker and not too liquidy.
- Lemon juice — Other than adding a tart flavor, making a more interesting flavor complex, the lemon juice draws out the juices in the apples.
- Butter – salted or unsalted will do.
How to Make Cinnamon Baked Apples
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9 inch pan with butter.
- Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. I have this awesome gadget I use to do this. Saves me a lot of time! You can find it here. On the other hand, I’ve think this apple slicer would be awesome too.
- In a large bowl mix the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, lemon juice and cornstarch together until fully mixed.
- Spoon the apple mixture into the prepared baking dish. Place the butter pieces over the apples.
- Cover with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes, stopping every 15 minutes to stir the apples. The apples are done when you can pierce them with a fork and the fork slides right in.
- Serve the cinnamon baked apples warm with ice cream or over oatmeal if desired.
FAQS and Recipe Tips
What kind of apples should I use for cinnamon baked apples? — You can use a variety of apples or just one kind — it’s up to you. Honeycrisp, gala and granny smith apples are great options. Granny smith apples are much more tart, whereas honeycrisp and gala have more of a balance of tart and sweet. I wanted a variation, so I used honeycrisp, gala, and granny smith.
Can I substitute honey for sugar? — Yes! You can use a different sweetener if you’d like. Honey, agave, coconut sugar, dark brown sugar, etc. are all great options.
Can I keep the apple skins on my apples? — I wouldn’t recommend making the cinnamon baked apples with the skin still on. Apple skins tend to become tough and chewy in the oven.
Are baked cinnamon apples healthy? — I wouldn’t put them on a list for a diet cleanse obviously. However, you can also make little adjustments to make them healthier. For example, swap out the brown sugar for honey or agave.
Be sure to check out my list of the best apple recipes to make this fall! Lots of great recipes in there.
More Apple Recipes
- Apple Cinnamon Scones
- Caramel Apple Dip
- Easy Apple Crisp Recipe
- Copycat Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Apple Pie Caramel Apples
- Cranberry Apple Cider
Cinnamon Baked Apples
Ingredients
- 6-7 cups apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced. About 5-6 medium/large apples
- 1/2 cup brown sugar - packed
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons butter - cut into 6 pieces (can use salted or unsalted butter)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x9 inch pan with butter. (See notes)
- In a large bowl mix the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, cornstarch and lemon juice.
- Spoon the apple mixture into the prepared dish. Place the butter pieces over top of the apples.
- Cover with foil and bake for 35-45 minutes, stopping every 15 minutes to stir the apples. The apples are done with they are fork tender.
- Serve warm topped with ice cream or over oatmeal, if desired.
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