RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
September Pick: Desserts

Baked Apples with Cinnamon and Yogurt

Whole apples filled with walnuts, butter, and cinnamon, baked until tender in their skins, and served warm over cool cardamom Greek yogurt.

Why you'll love Baked Apples with Cinnamon and Yogurt

September is apple harvest, and a baked apple is the simplest way to taste one at its best. Each apple is cored, filled with chopped walnuts, butter, and cinnamon, and baked whole until the flesh turns soft, the skin wrinkles, and the juices pool in the bottom of the dish. Served warm over cold Greek yogurt, it tastes like the inside of an apple pie.

The trick is keeping the apple whole while it softens. A shallow cut scored around each apple's middle lets the skin give as the flesh expands, so it never splits open, and a little water in the dish creates steam that cooks the apples evenly. The dish is covered for the first half of baking, which steams the apples through, and uncovered for the second, which browns the walnuts and thickens the juices into a buttery syrup.

The apples bake in their skins, and the yogurt and walnuts give the fruit protein and fat to go with it. A teaspoon of allulose deepens the filling if your apples are tart, though a ripe September apple is sweet enough on its own.

Quick overview: This Baked Apples with Cinnamon and Yogurt takes 15 min of hands-on time and about 1 hr in all and makes 4 servings, each 1 apple with 1/2 cup yogurt. You'll need a baking dish.

Jump to recipe

Baked apple with walnut filling over cinnamon Greek yogurt
Prep 15 minCook 45 minTotal 1 hrServes 4Serving 1 apple with 1/2 cup yogurtYou'll need Baking dish

Ingredients

  • 4 medium firm baking apples, such as Braeburn, Jonagold, Cortland, or Pink Lady
  • 1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
  • a pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp allulose, optional Label: allulose, and nothing else
  • a pinch of fine sea salt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 cups plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven: Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
  2. Core the apples: Using a melon baller or a small spoon, scoop the core out of each apple from the stem end, stopping about 1/2 inch from the bottom so the base stays sealed and holds the filling. Make the hollow about 1 inch wide. With a paring knife, score a shallow line through the skin all the way around the middle of each apple. The cut lets the skin expand as the apple softens, so it wrinkles neatly instead of splitting.
  3. Make the filling: Mash the walnuts, butter, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the allulose if using, and the salt together with a fork into a crumbly paste. Butter melts into the apple as it bakes, and the walnuts toast in it.
  4. Fill and bake covered: Stand the apples in a baking dish just big enough to hold them, pack the filling into the hollows, mounding it slightly, and pour the water into the dish around them. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. The trapped steam cooks the apples through evenly.
  5. Bake uncovered: Remove the foil, baste the apples with the juices in the dish, and bake for 15 to 25 minutes more, until a paring knife slides easily into the side of an apple and the walnuts on top are toasted. Bake time depends on the apple; pull them when they are tender but still standing, before they slump.
  6. Whip the yogurt: While the apples bake, stir the yogurt with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, the cardamom, and the lemon zest until smooth. Keep it cold.
  7. Serve: Let the apples cool for 10 minutes, so the filling sets and the juices thicken. Spoon the yogurt into four shallow bowls, set a warm apple on each, and spoon the pan juices over the top. The contrast of warm apple and cold yogurt is the point.

Storage and leftovers

Refrigerate leftover baked apples with their juices in a covered container for up to 4 days, and keep the yogurt separate. Eat them cold, or warm them covered in a 325°F (165°C) oven for 15 minutes or in the microwave for about a minute.

The spiced yogurt keeps in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Baked apples turn mushy when frozen, so they are best kept in the refrigerator.

Variations

  • Pecans: Use chopped pecans in place of the walnuts.
  • Pears: Bake firm Bosc pears the same way, cored from the bottom, and start checking for tenderness at 30 minutes.
  • Ginger: Add 1/2 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger to the filling for warmth and bite.
  • Breakfast: Serve a cold baked apple, sliced, over a bowl of the spiced yogurt with extra walnuts for a fall breakfast.

Notes and tips

  • Pick a baking apple: Firm, crisp apples hold their shape when baked. Softer apples like McIntosh collapse into a sauce as they bake, so save those for applesauce.
  • Level the bottoms: If an apple wobbles, slice a thin piece off its base so it stands straight, without cutting into the hollow.
  • Use a snug dish: Apples packed close together support each other as they soften, and the juices stay deep enough to baste with.
  • Taste before adding allulose: Bake one apple first or taste a slice raw. A sweet apple needs nothing added to the filling.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Apples baked in their skins keep their fiber, which slows how quickly their natural sugar reaches your bloodstream.
  • Whole-milk Greek yogurt brings protein and fat to the dessert, and pairing fruit with protein and fat is what keeps your blood sugar steady after a sweet bite.
  • Walnuts add crunch and omega-3 fats, and toasting them in butter deepens their flavor.
  • Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom bring a warm sweetness of their own, so the apples taste rich with little or no sweetener at all.
  • As you eat, notice how the warm, soft apple and the cold yogurt feel together and how satisfying one apple is, and check in afterward: this dessert should settle you, with no pull toward a second sweet thing an hour later.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Baked Apples with Cinnamon and Yogurt? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

What are the best apples for baking whole?

Firm, crisp apples that hold their shape: Braeburn, Jonagold, Cortland, Rome, and Pink Lady all work. Granny Smith works too but is quite tart.

Do I need to peel the apples?

No. The skin holds the apple together as it bakes and keeps its fiber, so it stays on.

Can I make them ahead?

Yes. Bake them up to a day ahead, refrigerate, and serve cold or warm them gently. The yogurt can be made a few days ahead.

Can I bake them in an air fryer?

Yes. Set the filled apples in a small heatproof dish with a few tablespoons of water and cook at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender.

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Tags: September Pick, Desserts, American