Make baked apples

Apple is one of Europe’s most popular fruits, notably in France. Delicious raw, it is also tasty in cooking and features in many recipes: apple tart, jams, applesauce, jellies, sorbets, tarte Tatin and even as an accompaniment to savoury dishes. There is also a very simple and tasty homemade recipe: baked apple. This simple dish can be enhanced with almonds, honey, raisins and many other ingredients. Discover how to make baked apples and which varieties to choose.

La pomme au four

Baked apple: which variety to choose?

Existing apple varieties fall mainly into three categories: table apples (for eating raw), cooking apples and cider apples. To make delicious baked apples, you should use cooking apples. Again, there are two types:

• Cooking apples with a soft flesh develop a melting texture after cooking. They are said to be "compoted" and are often used for making purée, jellies, applesauce and tender pastries. Among them are Reinette grise du Canada, the Jonagold apple, Reine des Reinettes and Belle de Boskoop.
• Cooking apples with a firm flesh hold their shape well and remain relatively firm after cooking. They are mainly used for making apple tarts, doughnuts, apple chips, pastries and as accompaniments to savoury dishes. In this category are the Ariane apple, the Royal Gala, Golden Delicious, Elstar and Fuji.

Choose apples from these two categories depending on how melting or how firm you prefer them.

→ Find other varieties in our article: "best cooking apples".

La pomme Reinette du Canada et La pomme Royal Gala

Baked apple recipe

Of course, you can simply place apples in a dish, put them in the oven and that’s it! But I want to share a little recipe that sits halfway between simplicity and sophistication, which will please both adults and children. My recipe pairs the melting texture of the apple with the sweetness of honey, lifted by cinnamon for extra flavour. If you prefer simplicity, skip steps 6 and 7 below.

Ingredients:

• Cooking apples
• A large dish (or ramekins to cook apples individually)
• A knife and/or an apple corer
• A fork
• Honey
• Cinnamon

Cooking time:

30 to 45 minutes

Method:

• 1/ Preheat oven to 180°C.
• 2/ Wash apples, then remove core and pips with an apple corer or a knife.

• 3/ Prick apples with a fork to allow juice to escape during cooking.

Question of taste: some cooks add butter to the apples or in place of the core. Personally, I don’t add butter because I prefer slightly leaner recipes and limit fat. You can therefore add butter at this stage or not, depending on taste.

• 4/ Place apples in the dish or ramekins.
• 5/ Put the equivalent of a teaspoon of honey on top of each apple (or two for big sweet-tooths).

• 6/ Sprinkle a little ground cinnamon over them.

• 7/ Put dish in oven and cook for 30 to 45 minutes. Check occasionally by piercing an apple with a fork or knife. If apple skin "gives in", apples are ready.

• 8/ Remove dish from oven. Serve hot or let cool according to preference.

My tips:

• You can sprinkle apples with a few sliced almonds, walnuts or icing sugar and add a cinnamon stick or a star anise for decoration.

Recipe variations:

For the more indulgent or fans of easy-to-elevate desserts (in other words, if you want to wow mother-in-law or your beloved!), here are some ideas:

• Start by cutting off top of apple horizontally to create a little lid.
• Lift off lid, then hollow out apple.
• Pour a spoonful of honey into the heart of the apple and add some treats: crumble, walnuts, raisins, muesli, sliced almonds, dried fruit, etc. In some regions, cheese is even added!

En ajoutant des noix et des fruits secs, on obtient un dessert gourmand

• You can also replace honey with chestnut cream, brown sugar, jam or a chocolate bar.
• Replace lid and continue recipe from step 4.
• For a hot-and-cold contrast, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside the baked apple: delicious!