I’m a multi-tasking addict. It’s sad to say that I can’t perform many tasks without doing other things at the same time. For instance, when I was making this recipe yesterday, I was also cooking 2 other recipes, shooting photography, and doing computer work at the same time. That’s just how I function most days. I blame the technology age for my lack of attention span and why I have no less than 20 tabs open on my computer at all times. There is no hope for me!
I guess it comes as no surprise that I like my food to multi-task too. Breakfasts that can be dressed up for dessert or whipped out of the fridge for a healthy afternoon snack really impress me. You know what else I love? Desserts that are wholesome enough for breakfast. A 3-in-1 recipe. Am I really asking for too much here? I don’t think so.
After a few days away from my kitchen, it felt so good to have my appetite for baking (and eating!) back. I’m happy to say that this recipe today fits all 3 goals for breakfast, snacking, and dessert. Hey, if you want to eat it for dinner too, I’d say we’re kindred spirits.
Now, a little note about baked apples.
Do you struggle as much as I do with the decision of which type of apple to bake? It gets me every time. In my mind, there’s nothing worse than a mushy baked apple. I had a rather traumatic apple baking experience a couple years ago and it just about turned me off baked apples for life. Thankfully, I gave it another shot, this time using Honeycrisp apples. They held up so well in the oven, they were still firm after 40 minutes of baking. Soft on the outside and firm in the middle – that’s my perfect baked apple. If you prefer the baked apples soft all the way through with that “melt in your mouth” quality, just bake until you can easily slide a fork through the middle. Your call. The baking time will vary greatly depending on the variety of apple as well as the size. My apples were huge – just under 400 grams for the pair.
I mixed up a lovely cinnamon date pecan oatmeal and then stuffed it into the middle of two apples. All of the leftover oatmeal gets scooped into the dish and it’s baked for around 40 minutes or so (it probably could’ve used another 5 mins since the apples were so large). It’s so incredibly simple – and the outcome was even better than I hoped! I could see this dish making a lovely holiday breakfast.
Baked Apples Stuffed With Cinnamon Date Pecan Oatmeal
Yield
2-4 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Recipe inspired by Yummy Mummy Kitchen.
Ingredients
- 2 large firm baking apples (I used Honeycrisp), cored
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- 4 Medjool dates (or raisins), pitted and chopped
- 1 tbsp chia seeds (or try ground flax)
- 1/4 cup pecans (or walnuts), chopped
- 1.5 cups almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1.5 tbsp pure maple syrup, plus more for garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash and core apples. You want to make the hole about an inch in diameter, so there is enough room for stuffing. Place cored apples in a lightly oiled rimmed baking dish (I used a 4 cup dish).
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients.
- Fill apples with the oatmeal mixture (pack it down slightly) and then spoon the leftover oatmeal + all liquid into the dish, surrounding the apples.
- Bake, uncovered, for approximately 35-50 minutes (this time will vary depending on your apples, so keep an eye on it). To test for doneness, pierce apple with a knife. If it slides through fairly easy it’s done. The almond milk should also be absorbed and the oatmeal fairly firm. Serve with drizzle of pure maple syrup, apple butter or pumpkin butter, whipped coconut cream, non-dairy ice cream, or yogurt.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Enjoy it hot or cold, for breakfast, snacking, or dessert a la mode! [I’m a poet and I know it.]
It’s also Sketchie approved. The hot oven made me flustered on a warm fall day and I had to rip off my sweater, providing him a cozy cat bed. :)
Note his cat tunnel in the background. The best 10 bucks we ever spent.
By the way, please remind me to purchase an apple corer! I am the worst at coring apples with a paring knife. It’s a miracle I have all 10 fingers intact today.
I’m curious – what are your favourite baking apples? Have you tried certain varieties with great results? Or others with poor results?
Yum! Obsessed with all things apple and crunchy, great idea! Look like little pacmen :)
Wow-I need to eat this immediately!
I LOVE honeycrisp apples for absolutely everything!
Ah! These look so wonderful. Im going to give the apple baking another try, I too had some difficulty in the past…but a pear would actually sub great in this recipe too…I got delish ones from the farmers market last weekend and just popped one in the oven with a sprinke of coconut oil and ginger and it turned out great! Cant wait to try it with the oats too!
I am very curious about the cat tunnel. We adopted a stray cat from our freezing cold back yard and we have never had a cat. Where did you get the cat tunnel? Or just describe it and I will go shopping. I could not see much of the tunnel from the picture. Thanks.
Hey Karen! We bought it at a store called JSYK. You might be able to find them in pet stores or even online. The tunnel also collapses into a small ring, so it’s great for bringing it places or packing (umm not that we’ve ever done that! haha)
I have been quietly following you for some time now and must step forward and thank you for all of your incredibly healthy and delicious recipes, fun stories, and beautiful photography. I have used many recipes for my husband and myself, as well as grands and family. You are an amazing woman and thanks so much for sharing your many talents on your blog. Looking forward to many more adventures with you, Angela! Karen in San Diego
Hi Karen, Thanks for leaving such a lovely note! It means so much to me to hear that you enjoy the blog so much. :) truly, thank you. PS- I LOVE San Diego!!! can’t wait to go back sometime.
I love to add almond butter, too.
Great that you fill the whole pan with the apple stuff, I love that!
oh my heavens! these look wonderful!
Oh yum! I’m making this tonight!! I’m on a beach body crunch month and I’m craving something sweet and this will be it! on the edge of cheating ;)
Thanks :) and wish me good luck with the knife too LOL
-Michelle {LiveLoudly}
I was going to make baked apples last weekend, but we ended up making an apple crisp that turned out a bit too “crisp” on the bottom (it was burnt, sad!) We only had not so fresh sun crisps, though. I should get some better baking apples.
I once lived in a world where I thought the only kind of apple was red delicious. So, so sad. Our local orchard has a handy dandy chart of all the apples they grow and the best way to use them. It’s so helpful when deciding what apples to pick for different recipes!
http://www.fiferorchards.com/documents/AppleChart.pdf
Thank I will check that out! yay :)
Have you tried Bramley’s? They’re the go to baking/cooking apple here in Ireland!
Boskoop apples are my favorite for making baked apples and other baked things – so when I actually plan on making something I use these. Otherwise I just take any apple I have on hand or the ones that are sold as “apples for baking” in the shop.
I just made one of your stuffed baked apples for my lunch and it was the perfect thing for the foggy wether outside. A juicy, warm apple and that oven-smell . . . hmmm =D
I burned my tongue, not wanting to wait any longer for the apple to cool, but never mind – it was 100% worth it ;-)
As I hadn’t had any baked apples since last Christmas, thanks for posting the recipe with that lovely picture! The apple tasted great, thanks to you! The recipe I always made before is quite different: The apple is stuffed with a mixture of raisins, chopped almonds, a dash of rum, marmelade/pureed berries and honey and goes with a vanilla or chocolate sauce on top (the sauce is not baked).
Angela! question for you as well as your vegan readers. I have recently been transitioning from vegetarian to vegan and it’s not bad at all- for me. It’s the rest of the world that’s confused. How did you first handle all your friends getting you non-vegan deserts for your birthday when they didn’t know or they forgot, or when everyone wanted to go to a restaurant that had you eating a plate of carrots as your only option? It is more of an inconvenience for the people around me than it is for me and it’s a hard thing to explain that it’s not like I’m “not allowed” to eat certain foods, I just choose not to. And when friends forget, they feel guilty about having made a dish that I am not going to get to eat. I don’t want to offend anyone, but it’s a pain to constantly remind someone of your dietary preferences. Anyways, sorry for the novel but thought it may garner some creative responses from fellow vegans!
Hey Shannon, I can relate to your struggles! My best advice is to always offer to bring a dish when you go to someone’s house. Often they are more than happy to have help and it relieves pressure on them to come up with something. That way you also aren’t stuck with nothing to eat even if they do forget. As an added bonus, you get to share yummy vegan food with your friends and show them how tasty it can be. Goodluck!
Looks delicious. The combination of the softened apple and crunch of the oatmeal is perfect. And then topped with yogurt or ice cream mmmmmmmm. I’m definitely a texture person.
First off – thank you for all of the amazing recipes and drool-promoting pictures. Ours is an omnivore household, but I’ve been increasing the number of vegetarian meals we consume and now I’m working to increase the number of vegan meals. Your blog has been such a great resource. I can see the time and effort you put into your recipes and I so appreciate being able to trust that a recipe will turn out well.
On to apples – yum! I made baked apples for our Thanksgiving breakfast last year and I think I will be continuing that tradition (and maybe expanding it to Christmas, New Year’s, Wednesdays…) I will definitely be trying this variation this year.
I’ve been amazed at how different grocery store (stored) apples and those that are fresh from the farm can be. When I buy from the grocery store, I think Honeycrisp and GrannySmith are the most reliable varieties during apple season. Farther into the winter and spring, I find the Honeycrisp get a bit mushier, but the Grannies are still reliable. When you have access to the fresh stuff, options are pretty limitless (and friendly farmers will often give great suggestions…and samples!!).
Sounds yummy Angela! Can’t wait to make these stuffed apples and your cat, Sketchie, is beautiful: )
Thank you for breakfast yesterday, Angela! It was dreamy good: http://cheesecurdsinfargo.blogspot.com/2012/10/breakfast.html. xoxo
This is in the oven right now! I also stuck a small cinnamon stick into the center of my apple. It looks so pretty and I hope it infuses the apple with a little more cinnamon essence.
I just LOVE honeycrisp apples. The organic ones at my local market have been just to die for. So crunchy, sweet, but a little tart also! The perfect apple ever in my opinion. Great for snacking and I’m not surprised they are great for baking as well. I will definitely need to try this, thank you for sharing.
I’m sorta new to following vegan/healthy blogs, so I apologize if this comes off wrong. But hardly anyone comments on ACTUALLY making the food?
I made these awesome baked apples this past weekend and they were a super hit with my family. I was so excited there was one left over on Sunday morning and I was the lucky one to get to eat it. Yay me!
Thank you for another wonderful recipe. BTW, I’ve made several of your recipes and your butternut squash burritos are OUT OF THIS WORLD. :)
these are so yummy, perfect for a breakfast/dessert alike! i topped mine with some vanilla tofutti as a treat.wowza. shared one with my boyfriends mom and she said it was elegant. she has a huge sweet tooth, store bought pastries are her main staple. to see her enjoy something sweetened only with dates & maple syrup was nice. thank you for all your brilliant recipes! also, i don’t think i can ever enjoy pasta or spaghetti squash again without your simple avocado sauce!
This is so good…I sliced the apples and doubled the recipe…now breakfast is a no-brainer…I just pour on the warmed almond milk, pour coffee and orange juice and enjoy:)
Made this tonight and great as a simple dessert. Substituted dried mulberries, cherries, almonds and pumpkin seeds for walnuts and dates
I get this is a food recipe and blog/discussion…..but you have a beautiful cat. What Breed is he?
Thank you – Sketchie is a Bengal
I made these last night with Cortland apples. It was absolutely delicious. Thanks for another great recipe.
Hi Angela, I have these baking in the oven as I type this message. Its smells divine. I can’t wait to eat one warm, one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. :D Thank you!
I am huge fan of your website and have been sharing it with all my clients , our fav is your green monster , kale and the detox salad. But as the mornings get colder, after an 6am workout i needed something warm to come home to, so i adapted this apple recipe, i make the oats mixture, and chop up the apples and mix it all through, then cook the night before, enough for 2-3 mornings, it is sooooo good and very filling.
keep up the GREAT work.
Anna.
Thank you Anna! So glad you enjoyed it.
i LOVE this recipe. made it 3 times already, with minor changes- i make a bigger batch and i cut the apples to fine slices. also. i like to add cocunut to the mix and some citrus juice (orange, clementine, etc.)
that’s the snack i pack for work and it works every time
Im glad to hear that! Great idea about bringing it to work.
Making this tonight by request of the hubby. Being Thanksgiving week I had some dried cranberries on hand, so subing that for dates. Smells YUMMY in th oven!!
Your photos make my mouth all watery, this looks so simple and delicious!
These were delicious! Not overly sweet…just perfect. And my husband – who does not do healthy – cleaned his bowl. I love sneaking good, healthy food to him! Thanks for this keeper of a recipe!
I made this for breakfast this morning for me and my daughter and it was amazing!! we’ve recently started an elimination diet for her trying to find intolerances and sugar has been one of the things we’ve taken out. we’re both looking for something sweet and this took care of it. i used golden delicious apples and didn’t use the maple syrup and it was perfect. next time i might heat up and drizzle with the farm cinnamon honey i have. thanks for saving our breakfast options…and desserts too :)
I tried baking these with quinoa flakes instead of oatmeal, and I also placed the apples in mini loaf pans. Everything around the apple baked into bread! Do you think it’s because of the quinoa flakes or the pans? It just absorbed all the liquid!
This is what’s for dinner tonight!
Hi! I made these last night. I wanted them as dessert for my boyfriend and I. I didn’t have a dessert type topping like almond milk ice cream (which would have been delish!), so I mixed maple syrup and almond butter together and drizzled it on top. It was amazing!
I am truly a fan of your page! I am planning on making 2 of your recipes this weekend and this is one of them. If I don’t have something to core my apples- can I chop them and make an apple crisp using this recipe? Also, would green apples work or would you say the honey crisp holds up best in the heat?
Yum! I am trying this on Friday. I am going to use Honey Crisp apples and Bosc pear slices for the sides. Then topping it all off with coconut whipped cream.
I realize I’m way late to this posting, but oh man!! I came across your recipe for coconut whipped cream a while ago and after a few failed attempts successfully made my first batch! I was wondering what to put it on (since shoveling it all into my mouth is probably not the most lady like option) and then I saw this! It looks like I’ll be making a double batch so I have breakfast for the week, each complete with some coconut whipped cream! Thanks so much for sharing!!
p.s. I got an apple corer about 6 months ago for only about $10. Best purchase I’ve ever made!
What a perfect treat for the upcoming Fall months.
This just screams fall. I made one stuffed apple and halved the oatmeal recipe since it was just for me (breakfast this morning!). I have never had baked apples before, and stuffing it with oatmeal seemed genius! The smell alone was amazing – cinnamon & spices, apples, maple, pecans… I couldn’t get enough. I did not expect to love it as much as I did – mostly because I am so in love with cold overnight oats that hot oats are not always as appealing to me. I was pleasantly surprised with this recipe! I cannot wait to make it again, maybe for a holiday breakfast or dessert for my fiance and me or some family. I bet a scoop of coconut or almond ice cream would make this the perfect holiday dessert. Thanks for a comforting fall recipe that I know I”ll be making again soon :)
YUM
Anybody use Fuji apples?
Healthy and warming on a blustery January morning. The hardest part of this recipe is coring the apples and then waiting the 45 minutes until the delicious breakfast is ready. And they are well worth the wait! My apple was a bit crunchy which was a nice contrast to the oatmeal. Adding a bit of syrup or coconut cream will enhance the final flavors as well.
A definite hit and will make again.
Thank you for this recipe! I was inspired to make a baked apple dessert and came across your recipe. I had all the ingredients on hand too, yea! This dish smelt like I was walking through Disneyland smelling churros while baking, I love when food congers up memories through smells and taste!
Dear Angela,
I really enjoyed your 2 cookbooks as well as your blog. Very well done and thank you for being such an inspiration for others to live healthier.
By the way, your Sketchie cat is so adorable! May I ask what type of cat is he please?
Many thanks and keep up your amazing work,
Phuong.
Hey Phuong, Thank you so much for your kind words! Sketchie is a Bengal (sadly, he passed away from cancer, but his memory lives on in our hearts.)