- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 4 blooming apples + 2 cups nice cream
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These show-stopping baked apples feature all the best flavors of fall: Sweet apples, tart cranberries, earthy walnuts, and warming cinnamon. While they might look complex to make, a few simple knife strokes produce the beautiful blooming look that even the most inexperienced chef can master. The crumbly granola topping offers a delightfully crunchy contrast to the soft fruit and frosty nice cream that’s served on the side. You can think of this dessert as a deconstructed apple pie that preserves all the delicious flavors without any flour or added fat! To make this recipe gluten-free, make sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
Tip: Use baking or multipurpose apples, such as Granny Smith, Gala, or Jonathan, which are more tender after baking.
For more apple desserts, check out these tasty ideas:
Ingredients
- 4 medium apples
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 medium ripe bananas, cut into 1-inch chunks and frozen at least 2 hours
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a melon baller, core apples but do not cut through the bottom of the apples. Cut each apple into 8 segments, leaving them attached at the bottom. Place apples in a 2-quart baking dish. Add ½ cup water to bottom of the dish. Cover tightly with foil. Bake 30 minutes or until apples are tender. Use a spoon to remove some water from the bottom of the dish.
- In a small bowl stir together the next five ingredients (through maple syrup) and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Spoon into centers of baked apples. Bake, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes more or until apples are very tender.
- Meanwhile, for nice cream, in a food processor combine frozen bananas,the remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and the vanilla. Process until smooth and creamy, stopping processor a few times to scrape down sides. Serve immediately for soft-serve. For firmer nice cream, transfer mixture to an airtight freezer-safe container; freeze 1 to 2 hours.
- Serve each apple with a scoop of Cinnamon Nice Cream.
Comments (8)
(5 from 2 votes)Is there a goof substitute for the apple cider if I can't find it?
45 min bake time in first part is SO off. My apples were totally fallen and over-softened. No way to bake further with filling. It would be a 5-star recipe if the cook time was correct.
Thanks for confirming what I was thinking....cooking time seemed WAY too long!
How long do you think the cooking time should be? Half an hour? Less?
Hi Lisa, Sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you for your helpful feedback. After reading your comment, we went back to the recipe-testing team. They shared that the bake time seemed to vary depending on the type of apple: 30 minutes for the initial bake time worked for Granny Smiths but 45 worked better for Braeburns. Given the wide range, we've updated Step 1 of the instructions to call for baking the apples 30 minutes or until tender. Thank you again for sharing your experience and helping us to improve the recipe. Warm regards, Courtney Davison Editor, Forks Over Knives
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