Caramel Self-Saucing Baked Apples with Walnuts and Warm Spices Recipe
These Caramel Self Saucing Baked Apples are a deliciously indulgent yet wholesome dessert featuring juicy apples filled with a spiced walnut and maple syrup mixture, baked to a tender, caramelized finish. The natural apple juices combine with the filling to create a luscious caramel sauce in the baking dish, perfect to serve warm topped with ice cream for a comforting treat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings (4 apples halved)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Australian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Apples & Sauce
- 4 juicy apples (Modi red apples ideal)
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
Filling / Sauce
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (or substitute oats)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup (or honey or golden syrup)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 75 g / 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) to ensure it’s ready for baking the apples evenly.
- Prepare Filling: In a bowl, combine the chopped walnuts or pecans, maple syrup, cinnamon, ground cloves, brown sugar, melted butter, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly until well combined. Set aside; the mixture will firm up and become scoopable. Refrigerate if your environment is warm.
- Core Apples: Cut each apple in half through the core. Use an ice cream scooper, spoon, or small knife to carefully scoop out the core section from each apple half without breaking the skin.
- Arrange Apples: Place the cored apple halves snugly in a baking dish, minimizing space between them so they support each other during baking.
- Fill Apples: Spoon the prepared filling generously over the hollowed centers of each apple half, using an ice cream scoop for ease and portion control.
- Prepare Sauce Mixture: In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with a splash of the water until dissolved, then add the remaining water and stir well.
- Add Sauce and Cover: Pour this cornflour-water mixture evenly around the apples in the baking dish. Cover the dish tightly with foil to keep moisture in while baking.
- Bake Covered: Bake the apples covered in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, allowing them to soften and juices to release.
- Bake Uncovered: Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until the crumb topping is deep golden and the apples are tender but still hold their shape, with a syrupy caramel sauce forming in the pan.
- Serve: Spoon the caramel sauce from the pan over the baked apples. Serve warm topped with ice cream if desired, and drizzled with extra sauce for a rich finish.
Notes
- Use juicy apples for best results, as the natural juices contribute to the self-saucing effect. Modi red apples are recommended for their juiciness and flavor.
- The thickness of the caramel sauce varies depending on apple size; if too thick, add a spoonful of hot water; if too thin, mix and return to oven briefly to thicken.
- For make-ahead convenience, you can prepare the apples stuffed with filling and store in the fridge overnight. Add the cornflour-water mixture and bake just before serving.
- One baked apple half is a satisfying dessert serving; for larger appetites, two halves per person is recommended. Nutrition is based on one half with all sauce included, excluding ice cream.
