Maple Baked Apples with Cinnamon, Maple Sauce and Toasted Walnuts

I have two Granny Smith apple trees, and when those apples start coming off them, they don’t show up in any reasonable quantity. They come in like I’ve somehow agreed to operate a small commercial orchard without being asked. I don’t mind it, though. These baked apples are one of the first things I make because I can use several at once without peeling a single one.

I cut the apples in half, core them and bake them with cinnamon, brown sugar and maple syrup, which is about as uncomplicated as I can make an apple dessert. There is no filling to mix, nothing to stuff back into the middle and especially no peeling, which becomes increasingly important when every flat surface in the kitchen seems to have apples on it.

The maple syrup is where I think the recipe gets better than its level of effort would suggest. As the apples bake, their juices run into the syrup in the bottom of the dish, along with some of the cinnamon and brown sugar. I pour all of that into a saucepan afterward and reduce it into the maple-walnut sauce that goes back over the apples.

I finish the sauce with lemon and toasted walnuts, then spoon it over the warm apples while they’re still soft enough to eat with a spoon. It’s simple, but it doesn’t feel like I gave up and baked some fruit because I had too many apples.

I’ve been making these for years, but having my own Granny Smith trees has made me appreciate them differently. When I’m standing in front of another counter full of apples, cutting four of them in half and putting them in the oven feels so much more realistic than deciding I’m about to peel thirty.

The Decisions Behind This Recipe

• The part I care about most is the maple syrup in the baking dish. It’s not there only to sweeten the apples. As they bake, the fruit releases its juices into the syrup, and I spoon that liquid back over the cut sides so it picks up the cinnamon and brown sugar along the way. Once the apples are tender, that same liquid becomes the sauce. Life cycle complete.
• I use a full cup of maple syrup because I need enough in the dish to cook with the apples and still have something left to reduce afterward. Apples don’t release the same amount of juice every time, so I don’t give the sauce a rigid reduction time. I cook it until it looks like something I want to spoon over the apples.
• Cutting the apples in half across the middle gives the cinnamon and brown sugar a lot more exposed fruit to work with, and it gets them tender much faster than baking them whole. It also means I can get through a decent number of apples without peeling anything or hollowing out eight little cavities.
• The lemon goes in twice for two different reasons. I use some on the cut apples before baking, then add more to the finished sauce after it has reduced. That second addition is important once the maple syrup and apple juices have concentrated.
• I keep the walnuts out of the baking dish and toast them separately. They go into the sauce at the end so they still taste like toasted walnuts instead of spending half an hour getting soft in maple syrup.

Ingredients

• Granny Smith apples – Their tartness is what I want with maple syrup and brown sugar, and they soften nicely without turning to mush. I use large apples from my own trees when they’re producing, but similarly sized Granny Smiths from the grocery store work just the same.
• Fresh lemon juice – Some goes over the cut apples before baking, and the rest goes into the maple sauce at the end. That last little bit is important once the maple syrup and apple juices have reduced and gotten sweeter.
• Light Brown sugar – I sprinkle it directly over the cut side of the apples so it melts into the fruit with the cinnamon as they bake. If you’re out, make a simple batch of my homemade brown sugar.
• Ground cinnamon – This goes on the apples, not in the maple syrup. Some will naturally work its way into the baking liquid as you baste, but I want most of it on the fruit.
• Pure maple syrup – Use real maple syrup, not pancake syrup. It does a lot more than sweeten the apples because the baking liquid eventually becomes the sauce.
• Table salt – Enough goes into the finished sauce to keep the maple and brown sugar from becoming too much.
• Walnuts – Toast them first and add them at the end so they keep their flavor and texture. Pecans would also be a very substitute.

How to Make Baked Apples with Maple-Walnut Sauce

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (get the apples ready)
  Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the apples in half crosswise and remove the cores, then brush the cut sides with 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice and arrange them cut-side up in a baking dish.
• Step Two (add the cinnamon sugar and maple syrup)
  Stir the brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle the mixture over the exposed apple flesh. Pour the maple syrup into the bottom of the baking dish around the apples. As they bake, their juices will run into the syrup and start making the liquid you’ll use for the sauce later.
• Step Three (bake until tender)
  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for about 15 minutes more, spooning some of the maple liquid over the apples as they cook. Start checking them with a paring knife near the end. You want the knife to slide in easily, but the apples should still be firm enough to move to a platter without falling apart. Larger apples may need a few extra minutes.
• Step Four (make the maple sauce)
  Transfer the apples to a serving platter, then pour every bit of the maple syrup and apple juices from the baking dish into a small saucepan. Add the remaining lemon juice and salt, bring it to a boil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until it has reduced and thickened slightly. Apples give off different amounts of juice, so I pay more attention to how the sauce looks than to the exact number of minutes.
• Step Five (add the walnuts)
  Take the saucepan off the heat and stir in the toasted walnuts. Spoon the warm maple-walnut sauce over the apples, making sure some stays on top and plenty ends up around them for serving.
• Step Six (serve them warm)
  Serve the apples while they’re warm, either as they are or with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. If there is extra sauce in the pan, this isn’t the moment to be stingy with it.

Recipe Tips

• Try to use apples that are close in size so they finish baking around the same time. Mine come straight from the trees and don’t seem to have any interest in uniformity, so I expect the larger halves to need a few extra minutes.
• When you core the apples, remove the seeds and firm center without carving out half the fruit. A melon baller, apple corer or small paring knife will all get this done. These aren’t stuffed apples, so you don’t need a giant cavity in the middle.
• Remember that the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. If you take it too far on the stove, you can end up with something much thicker than you meant to make. I’ve done it.
• Now that you’ve opened the maple syrup and still have more than half a bottle left, use it in my maple butternut squash and apple soup or my crispy maple mustard-glazed chicken cutlets.

Storage and Reheating

• Store leftover baked apples and maple-walnut sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can store them together, although I like keeping extra sauce separately because it makes reheating easier.
• The sauce will get much thicker in the refrigerator. That’s normal. Warm it before deciding it needs anything added to it.
• For one serving, microwave an apple half with some sauce in short intervals until warm. For several servings, place the apples in a covered baking dish in a 325°F oven until heated through, then warm the sauce separately and spoon it over the apples.
• You can make these earlier in the day and reheat them before dessert, although I like them best the day they’re made. I wouldn’t freeze them. Cooked apples can get much softer after freezing and thawing, and there’s nothing to be gained from doing that to a perfectly good baked apple.

FAQs

• What are the best apples for baked apples with maple syrup?
  Granny Smith are my first choice because their tartness goes well with maple syrup and brown sugar. Gala apples are also fine, but the finished dessert will be sweeter and they may soften faster, so start checking them a little earlier.
• Can I use pancake syrup instead of pure maple syrup?
  No. The syrup becomes the base of the finished sauce, so its flavor is more important than it would be if you were only drizzling it over the top.
• Do I need to peel the apples?
  No. Leave the peels on. Halving and coring them is all the prep they need before baking.
• Can I make these ahead of time?
  Yes. Bake the apples and make the sauce earlier in the day, refrigerate them once cooled, then reheat before serving. I wouldn’t make them several days ahead specifically for an occasion.
• Can I leave out the walnuts?
  Yes. The sauce will still reduce normally without them.
• Can I use pecans instead?
  Yes. Toast them first and stir them in after the sauce comes off the heat.
• Can I use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar?
  Yes. Dark brown sugar will give you more molasses flavor, but either one is fine.

From My Kitchen Notes

When You Have More Apples Than Plans

• Fresh Apple Bars – Granny Smith apples, golden raisins, walnuts
• Crockpot Apple Crisp – Tender apples, crisp oat topping, slow cooker
• Brown Sugar Cinnamon Apple Bundt Cake – Fresh apples, brown sugar swirl, cinnamon
• Apple Cheesecake Bars – Caramel apples, cheesecake, brown sugar shortbread
• Upside Down Apple Pie – Apples, brown sugar, butter, pecans

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Baked Apples with Maple-Walnut Sauce

Baked Apples with Maple-Walnut Sauce are Granny Smith apple halves baked with cinnamon, brown sugar and pure maple syrup, then served with a warm sauce made by reducing the maple syrup and apple juices from the baking dish with lemon and toasted walnuts.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword apple maple sauce, apples with maple syrup, baked apples with cinnamon, baked apples with maple syrup, Baked Apples with Maple-Walnut Sauce, maple baked apples, maple cinnamon baked apples, maple-walnut sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 257kcal

Author Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• baking dish 9x13 (23x33 cm) Large enough to arrange all eight apple halves in a single layer.
• measuring cups and spoons For measuring the maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and salt.
• apple corer or small pairing knife. For removing the cores from the apple halves.
• mixing bowls (small) For mixing the brown sugar and cinnamon.
• pastry brush For brushing lemon juice over the cut apples.
• Saucepan (small) For reducing the maple syrup and apple cooking juices into the sauce.
• aluminum foil For covering the apples during the first part of baking.

Ingredients

• 4 large Granny Smith apples halved crosswise and cored
• 2 tsps (10 ml) fresh lemon juice divided
• 2 tbsps (25 g) packed light brown sugar (dark works too)
• ¼ tsp (0.5 g) ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (315 g) maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
• ⅛ tsp (0.75 g) table salt
• ½ cup (60 g) chopped walnuts toasted

Toppings:

• vanilla ice cream (optional)
• whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
• Brush the cut sides of the apples with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Arrange the apples cut-side up in a baking dish.
  4 large Granny Smith apples , 2 tsps (10 ml) fresh lemon juice
• Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the cut sides of the apples. Pour the maple syrup into the bottom of the baking dish around the apples.
  2 tbsps (25 g) packed light brown sugar, ¼ tsp (0.5 g) ground cinnamon, 1 cup (315 g) maple syrup
• Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for about 15 minutes, spooning some of the maple cooking liquid over the apples as they bake. The apples are ready when a paring knife slides easily into the flesh but the halves are still firm enough to transfer to a serving platter without breaking apart. Larger apples may require additional baking time.
• Transfer the baked apples to a serving platter. Carefully pour all of the maple syrup and apple juices from the baking dish into a small saucepan.
• Add the remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice and the salt to the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the maple-apple sauce has reduced and is slightly thicker. The amount of liquid released by the apples can vary, so use the consistency of the sauce as your guide instead of relying only on the cooking time.
  ⅛ tsp (0.75 g) table salt
• Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the toasted walnuts. Spoon the warm maple-walnut sauce over the baked apples.
  ½ cup (60 g) chopped walnuts
• Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
  vanilla ice cream, whipped cream

Video

Notes

• To toast the walnuts, spread them in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly toasted. Watch them closely toward the end because walnuts can go from toasted to burned quickly.
• The baking time will vary depending on the size of the apples. Use a paring knife to check them instead of relying entirely on the clock, adding a few additional minutes if necessary.
• Use pure maple syrup for this recipe, not pancake syrup. Because the maple syrup becomes the base of the finished sauce after baking, the flavor and composition of the syrup make a noticeable difference.
• The apples release juice as they bake, and the amount can vary from one batch to another. If you end up with more cooking liquid, the sauce may need a little longer than 3 to 5 minutes to reduce to the right consistency.
• Toast the walnuts before adding them to the finished sauce. Adding them after the sauce has reduced keeps them out of the wet baking dish and preserves more of their toasted flavor and texture.
• One large apple makes two servings. Vanilla ice cream and whipped cream are optional and are not included in the nutrition estimate.

 

 

If you’re making these Baked Apples with Walnut-Maple Sauce, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

 

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Nutrition

Serving: 147g | Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 42mg | Potassium: 260mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

Have you made these Baked Apples with Maple-Walnut Sauce? I’d love to hear how they turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

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