Apples are right up there with pumpkin when it comes to the MVP of fall produce. Can you even imagine going the whole season without enjoying a piping hot mug of apple cider or not plunging a fork into a slice of pie brimming with the fruit? It just wouldn’t be right.
One of the most decadent ways to enjoy apples is by baking them right in the oven. It’s also one of the easiest. In the latest episode of Alt-Baking Bootcamp, nutritionist and chef Mia Rigden shows exactly how it’s done, complete with a drizzle of peanut butter caramel. Friends, of all the baked apple recipes, this is the one you’ll keep coming back to.
“When I was a kid, my mom used to make this almost weekly this time of year because it’s so easy to make on the fly, with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry,” Rigden says in the video. The first step is coring the apple, which she shows exactly how to do using a knife. “When you’re coring the apples, you want to cut into the top of the apple and get the stem off, and you also want to try to get as many seeds out as possible while keeping the shape of the apple intact,” she instructs.
Taking the core out of the apples allows room for the delicious filling. In this recipe, the filling is made with maple syrup, oats, raisins, pecans, cinnamon, and ginger. All the ingredients are melted together on the stove before being spooned into the center of the apples. Then, the apples are popped in the oven for about 50 minutes.
But the filling isn’t all that makes this baked apple recipe a step above the others out there. The finishing touch is a peanut butter caramel sauce, which is drizzled on top. “This peanut butter caramel is going to become a staple in your recipe repertoire—it’s so simple to make and it’s super freakin’ delicious,” Ridgen says. All you need is brown rice syrup and the peanut butter. That’s literally it. Then, just whisk them together with a fork.
So many of the ingredients in this dessert are full of gut-healthy fiber, including the oats, raisins, and the apples themselves. Besides fiber, it’s also full of protein from the peanut butter and pecans. You know how an apple a day keeps the doctor away? This one will have your cardiologist and G.I. doc giving you the thumbs up, too. But the best part is that it’s absolutely delicious. The warming spices, fruit, oats, and peanut butter caramel all come together in the most perfect way. Watch the video to see it come together step-by-step and get the full recipe below.
Baked apples with peanut butter caramel recipe
Ingredients
4 large baking apples, like honeycrisp
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 Tbsp raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp brown rice syrup
1 Tbsp peanut butter
Salt
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Core and deseed the apples using a paring knife, but keep the shape intact. Then peel some of the skin off the top.
3. Melt the butter in a small pan. Stir in the maple syrup, oats, raisins, pecans, cinnamon, and ginger, along with a pinch of the salt.
4. Portion the mixture evenly in the core of the apples. Then, place the apples in a small baking dish and cover a quarter of the way with water.
5. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the apples are soft.
6. While the apples are baking, make the peanut butter caramel by whisking together the brown rice syrup, peanut butter, and a pinch of salt with a fork.
7. When the apples are done, drizzle the peanut butter caramel on top and serve.
Get more healthy dessert ideas in Well+Good’s Cook With Us Facebook group.