Best Baked Apples Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes the best baking apples? ›

For the best pies, crisps, and other baked treats, apples need to be firm enough to hold their own during the cooking process. We call these apples “baking apples” and to namedrop, they include Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Haralson, and Newtown Pippin.

Cooked apples can be whole, chopped, or sliced. You'll need an oven set to 375°F. Sliced apples take about 25-30 minutes to get soft and tender in the oven. Stuffed whole apples require a little more time and you should plan on 45 minutes or better depending upon the size of your apples.

Choose the Right Apples

Some varieties turn to mush so fast they explode out of their skins, while some stay weirdly firm. Either way they're edible, but not ideal—a baked apple should stay intact but be soft enough to eat with a spoon.

At the end of the day, choosing the best pie apples is a personal decision. My best apple pie would include a combination of these three: Cortland, for flavor; Russet, for texture; and Granny Smith, for its combination of the two.

Here's the short version: The best way to prevent browning is to soak the cut fruit in a saltwater solution (half a teaspoon of kosher salt per cup of water) for 10 minutes, then drain and store until ready to use. The mild salt flavor can be rinsed off with tap water before serving.

peel your apples. While the debate on whether or not to peel your apples seems never-ending, it really comes down to a matter of personal choice. Unpeeled apples will add a bit of color and texture to your pie, but they may prevent the apples from melding together when baked.

Cooking apples are generally larger, and can be tarter than dessert varieties. Some varieties have a firm flesh that does not break down much when cooked. Culinary varieties with a high acid content produce froth when cooked, which is desirable for some recipes.

This is caused by an enzyme (polyphenol oxidase and catechol oxidase are two common examples) that reacts with oxygen in the air and an iron or copper cofactor in the fruit. A cofactor is a component that is necessary for a certain enzymatic reactions to happen.

The only way to stop oxidation is to create a protective barrier between the cut fruit and the air. Acid — usually in the form of citrus juice — has commonly been used to slow down this reaction, but there are a few other popular methods that use natural ingredients to interfere with the process.

Do baked apples go bad? ›

Baked apples, being a cooked product, don't have a very long shelf life. They typically last between 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. However, if you wish to extend their shelf life, you can freeze them for up to 6 months. Once they are thawed, consume them within 3 days to ensure they do not spoil.

If the recipe calls for 6 cups of sliced apples, you'll likely need about 8 medium-sized apples, or about 2 pounds of medium-sized apples.

Our favorite apple pie recipe calls for Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Golden Delicious apples, or a mix of all three. Honeycrisp apples err on the sweeter side, with a distinct honey-like flavor; Braeburns toe the line between sweet and tart; and Gold Delicious apples intensify in flavor when baked.

Granny Smith.

Firm and very tart, this variety is the go-to for many when it comes to pie because it keeps its shape extremely well. But it isn't exactly known for its flavor, so Granny Smiths are best used in conjunction with sweeter and/or more flavorful apples.

What Makes A Good Apple For Apple Crisp? The best apples for baking keep their structure under heat, which prevents the chunks of fruit from turning into mush after baking. The firm and crisp Granny Smith and Honeycrisp varieties are popular apples to use in apple pies and apple crisps.

Classically bred and grown in Washington State, the Cosmic Crisp^® apple is a cross of the Enterprise and Honeycrisp varieties. The large, juicy and red apple has a perfectly balanced flavor and firm texture, making it ideal for snacking, cooking, baking, and entertaining.

In general, eating apples tend to be softer in texture and sweeter, while baking apples tend more toward firm, crisp, and tart. "The most noticeable thing if you use a non-baking apple for a baking project will be the texture," says Erin Jeanne McDowell, author of The Book on Pie.