Baked Apples

Whole apples baked in ramekins with butter, honey, walnuts and cinnamon until soft and fluffy. Warm, honeyed, and comforting. The cosy French winter dessert, with syrup at the bottom of every ramekin!

Prep15

Cook30

Total45

Servings

DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

4 apples that soften when baked (Reinette, Boskoop, Golden Delicious or Bramley)
½ lemon
40 gr unsalted butter
2 tbsp honey
40 gr walnuts roughly chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp water

Equipment

Instructions

Heat the oven

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F).

Peel the apples

Peel the apples and rub them all over with the cut lemon straight away, so they don’t turn brown.

Make a lid and core

Cut a slice about 1cm thick off the top of each apple, keeping the stalk on, to make a lid. Remove the core with an apple corer or a small knife, without going through the bottom.

Make the filling

Mix the butter, honey, cinnamon and walnuts together into a soft paste.

Fill

Put each apple in a ramekin and pack the filling into the hollow, mounding any extra on top. Put the lids back on and pour the water into the bottom of each ramekin.

Bake

Set the ramekins on a baking tray and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, spooning the juices over the apples halfway through. They’re ready when a knife slides in easily.

Serve

Leave to rest for 5 minutes, then spoon the syrup over the apples. Serve warm.

Notes

Check from 20 minutes: Peeled apples bake faster than whole ones, and soft varieties can collapse if left too long. The ramekin holds them in shape.
Make ahead: Fill the apples a few hours ahead, cover and keep them in the fridge. Bake just before serving, adding a few minutes.
Serve with: crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.
Sharing the oven with chaussons: Bake the chaussons first in the hot oven, then lower the temperature and bake the apples.

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