This delicious and Easy Baked Apples Recipe is super simple to make and the perfect holiday dessert. It is stuffed with cooked condensed milk and walnut filling.
If you love apple dessert recipes, try our fluffy Cinnamon Apple Muffins or Apple Fritters.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I love fall baking because it fills the house with the most wonderful scents. These Baked Apples are as delicious as they look and you’re going to love how easy they are.
- TASTE: These Baked Apples are filled with sweet dulce de leche and earthy, nutty walnuts. They’re topped with a coating of powdered sugar.
- TEXTURE: They are baked to tender, juicy deliciousness. And the filling is both creamy and smooth with chunks of chopped walnuts throughout.
- TIME: This recipe takes about 40 minutes.
- EASE: Baking tends to take time, but this quick and simple apple dessert only calls for 4 ingredients. And it requires almost no prep work at all.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Apples- You can use any apples you like, but choose sweet ones that are good for baking whole and are ripe and unblemished.
- Dulce de leche- This is condensed milk that has been cooked. You can see below how to make our own or you can use store-bought.
- Walnuts- This ingredient adds earthy, nutty flavors with a hint of bitterness that offsets the sweetness, as well as nice crunch. Use unsalted walnuts.
- Powdered sugar- This will be sprinkled on top for added sweetness and a nice presentation.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute caramel sauce- You can make a homemade caramel sauce with butter, sugar, and cream, or buy some to use as the filling in these Baked Apples.
- Add cinnamon and brown sugar- Apples and cinnamon go together beautifully, so feel free to add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the filling for extra fall flavor. The brown sugar is also a great flavor enhancer.
- Make it vegan- You can make this recipe vegan-friendly by substituting the condensed milk in the dulce de leche with coconut condensed milk.
- Add raisins- For extra sweetness, add some rehydrated raisins. They taste amazing with the apples and walnuts. Just soak them for 10 minutes or so to make them plump.
How to Make Baked Apples
- Make the filling. Chop up the walnuts and place them in a small bowl. Add the cooked condensed milk and stir. Set aside.
- Core the apples. Remove the core of the apples with either a sharp paring knife or an apple corer, but leave a little at the bottom so the filling doesn’t leak out. Then line them up on a raised baking dish covered with foil.
Pro Tip: Be careful not to remove the bottom of the apple when you are cutting out the core. This will keep the walnut filling from leaking out.
- Stuff and bake. Stuff each apple with the walnut filling and bake for 30 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit. Then allow them to cool and garnish with powdered sugar.
Recipe Tips
- Use good quality apples- Choose a firm apple that has no bruises or dents. Presentation matters so you want a ripe apple without blemishes for this dish.
- Choose an apple that bakes well when whole- Not all apple can bake whole without becoming mushy. Use either Empire, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Jonathan, Gala, or Rome.
- Make your own dulce de leche- Remove the condensed milk can’s label and submerge it in a pot of water. Simmer it over high heat for 2 hours, then remove it with tongs and let it cool to room temp before opening.
- Overstuff the apple a little bit- So you get a delicious amount of dulce de leche walnut filling oozing out as they bake, add just a little too much filling to these Baked Apples.
FAQs
There is a long list of different apples that you can use for baking. It comes down to personal preference. Granny smith is a common one that is used for many apple recipes. You can also use Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Jonagold, Fuji, Braeburn, and Gala, along with many others.
1. Place the apple on a cutting board, stem up.
2. Using a paring knife or apple corer, cut around the core of the apple.
3. Remove the apple core.
4. If there are any remaining seeds or parts of the core left, then use your paring knife to completely clean up the inside.
Serving Suggestions
These Baked Apples are the perfect dessert after a hearty fall meal. They’re also versatile enough to be paired with lots of other desserts.
- Main dishes: Serve this as the dessert following a meal of Braised Beef Stew Recipe, Butternut Squash Ravioli, Pork Crown Roast, or Baked Potato Soup.
- Cakes: Pair them with Pumpkin Cheesecake (VIDEO), Honey Raspberry Cake, Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake, or Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes.
- Pies: Serve these Baked Apples with Homemade Apple Pie, pumpkin pie, or Simple Cherry Pie Filling in a Homemade Pie Crust.
- Pastries: Enjoy these sweet apples with some Homemade Apple Turnovers, Apricot Walnut Rugelach (VIDEO), Apple Strudel, and Cherry Danishes with Cream Cheese and Almonds.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can make the dulce de leche ahead of time so you only need to prep the apples and bake them when you’re ready to serve.
Storing: Store these Baked Apples in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, place one in the microwave for a minute, or reheat more in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through.
Freeze: Once the Baked Apples have cooled, place them in a freezer-safe container and keep them frozen for up to 5 months. You can thaw them in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven.
More Scrumptious Fall Desserts!
Full Recipe Instructions
Baked Apples
Ingredients
- 6 Fuji apples Galla or honey crisp work too
- 15 oz cooked condensed milk (dulce de leche) (or dulce de leche)
- 1 cup walnuts (chopped)
- Powdered sugar for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Core the apples
- Using a sharp knife or a chopper, chop up the walnuts. In a small bowl, combine the cooked condensed milk and walnuts. You can use storebought dulce de leche if you don't have your own at home.
- Remove the core of the apples, but leave a little at the bottom so the filling doesn't leak out. For this step, you can either use a sharp paring knife or an apple corer.
- Line a raised baking dish with foil and place the apples inside.
- Stuff each apple with the sweet walnut filling and bake for 30 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the apples have cooled, garnish with powdered sugar.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on Oct 20, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.
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oksana says
Had fun making these and they tasted absolutely amazing!!! This is definitely a quick fix if wanting something immediately! Thanks for sharing!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for your feedback Oksana! I’m so happy you enjoyed them 🙂
Lena says
Mmmmm!!! ???????????? i cant wait to try this!!!! It looks so so good!! All my favorite things! Dulce de lece and walnuts!! ????❤️
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Lena 🙂 I hope you love it!
Anna says
That looks delicious! My kids can do almost the whole thing by themselves 🙂
Did you use a knife to core the apple?
simplyhomecooked says
I’m sure they would really enjoy making this 🙂 I actually used a Mellon baller and it worked better than a knife. My Mellon baller has a side with ridges around it so maybe that’s why it worked so well.