Description
Easy Cinnamon Baked Apples are a warm and comforting dessert featuring tender apples baked with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and a lightly sweetened sauce. This simple, naturally sweetened recipe is perfect for a cozy treat and can be served with coconut whipped cream or vegan vanilla bean ice cream for an extra indulgence.
Ingredients
Scale
APPLES
- 6-7 medium to large apples (2 tart like granny smith, 4 sweet like honeycrisp, organic when possible)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil (optional)
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar (or substitute organic cane sugar; optionally replace up to half with stevia to taste)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp fresh grated ginger (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger as a substitute)
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch (for thickening the sauce)
- 3 Tbsp fresh apple juice or water
- 1 pinch sea salt
FOR SERVING (optional)
- Coconut Whipped Cream
- Vanilla Bean Coconut Ice Cream (store-bought vegan ice cream like So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream is recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and prepare a 9×13-inch or similar size baking dish.
- Prepare Apples: Peel and core the apples, then quarter them. Using a paring knife, slice the apple quarters thinly lengthwise, aiming for consistent thickness to ensure even cooking.
- Combine Ingredients: Place the sliced apples into the baking dish. Add lemon juice, coconut oil if using, coconut sugar, ground cinnamon, fresh grated ginger, nutmeg, cornstarch or arrowroot starch, fresh apple juice or water, and a pinch of sea salt. Toss everything gently to combine evenly.
- Bake Covered: Loosely cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. This allows the apples to soften while maintaining moisture.
- Bake Uncovered: Remove the foil carefully and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes or until the apples are very fork tender and the sauce has slightly caramelized.
- Serve and Store: Enjoy the baked apples warm as is or with optional coconut whipped cream or vegan vanilla bean coconut ice cream. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat gently in the microwave or in a 350-degree F oven (covered), adding a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.
Notes
- You can substitute 1/2 tsp ground ginger for 3/4 tsp fresh grated ginger if needed.
- For convenience, store-bought vegan vanilla bean coconut ice cream is an excellent topping choice.
- Nutrition information provided is a rough estimate based on using the lesser amount of apples, excluding optional toppings, coconut oil, and apple juice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
