Autumn-Spiced Stuffed Baked Apples

There’s nothing quite like the feeling I get when I bake my first fall recipe of the season. The gentle hum of the oven (a sound I haven’t heard in months, thanks to the Texas heat), the scent of warm, hearty spices wafting throughout the kitchen, and, if I’m lucky, an open window with a cool breeze creeping in. Typically, in September I have to settle for two of the three, but I don’t mind blasting the A/C in exchange for a little fall comfort. Especially since it’s official now, see ya’ later, summertime.

And nothing says fall is here quite like the arrival of crisp, sweet apples at the local market. I can’t resist filling up bag after bag from the bins overflowing with varieties I haven’t seen since last year’s debut. It’s become a tradition to try at least one or two new varieties every autumn — my next new favorite just waiting to be discovered.

So, what better way to celebrate fall’s arrival, than with a dessert that celebrates its most-loved fruit in one of its most pure, whole (and delicious!) forms? Baked apples offer up all of apple pie’s beloved flavor and comfort, but with only a fraction of the effort, and in the case of this recipe, sans refined sugars or wheat flour. WIN!

This recipe features Honeycrisp apples stuffed with a mixture dried apricots and cranberries for their natural, candy-like chew, pecans and pepitas for a slightly salty crunch, and old-fashioned oats for their nutty, wholesome flavor and texture. A touch of maple syrup adds a light, seasonally-appropriate dose of sweetness, and of course, the whole thing is spiked with a generous helping of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves for a spicy kick. In the oven, the filling mingles with apple’s natural juices, helping everything to melt together into a perfectly balanced, and mostly guiltless fall dessert. I chose to serve mine warm, topped with tart frozen yogurt and a sprinkling of cinnamon, but they would be equally delicious with crème fraîche or even greek yogurt.

The simplicity of the prep and the naturally-packaged single portions, make this recipe easily scalable; the effort is minimal whether you’re preparing dessert for a night in for two or a party of twelve. One thing to note — an apple corer makes the job of prepping the apples super easy, but since I’m always a little hesitant to encourage purchasing a single-use kitchen tool, a paring knife will also do the trick.

Enjoy!