Baked Apples with Oat Crumble

Cider-baked apples topped with a buttery oat crumb topping

Fall is peak apple season and although we don't have as many orchards and pick-your-own places as they do back east, there's still a good variety of ripe apples available at our local farmers' market and grocery stores. I love using apples in desserts like pies or tarts, but this baked apple recipe from the Huckleberry cookbook is my new favorite way to cook with them. The oat crumble topping is full of brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter, and gives all the same flavor as an apple pie with half of the effort. Each serving is half a whole apple with a generous handful of crumb topping, making for an easy presentation and portion control. Serve the apples warm from the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream on top or make in advance and re-heat when you're ready. Leftovers can totally pass as a healthy breakfast if you throw some greek yogurt on top.

Note: You can really use any apples you like to make this recipe. I used pink lady apples, but honeycrisp or granny smith would also be good.


Related Recipes:
- Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Drizzle
- Dutch Baby Pancake with Sautéed Apples
- Free-Form Apple Tart with Cinnamon Crumble


Baked Apples with Oat Crumble:

• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Halve and core 3 large apples and toss with 2 tbsp. melted butter, 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp. white sugar, 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, and a pinch of kosher salt.
• Pour 1 scant c. apple cider into a baking dish and place the apples in, cut-side up, in a snug single layer.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven for an hour, or until soft.
• Meanwhile, make the crumble by combining 6 tbsp. room-temperature butter, 1/2 c. whole wheat flour, 1 c. + 1 tbsp. rolled oats, 1/4 c. + 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tbsp. honey, and 1/2 tsp. kosher salt until well combined.
• Remove the foil from the dish and increase the heat to 425F.
• Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the apples and bake for another 20-25 minutes.
• Let cool slightly, then divide onto plates and serve.

Serves six