Crock Pot Baked Apples

By KDS-1

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons trans-fat free margarine or butter
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 Gala or Macintosh apples, cored
• 1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
• 2 tablespoons orange liquor (optional)

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 195mins
Adapted from skinnychef.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts, margarine or butter, and cinnamon. Fill the apples with the filling and place them in the crock-pot. Pour in the apple juice or cider and the liquor, if using.

Set the crock-pot on high heat and preset it for 3 hours.Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Sure, no need to use a crock pot. Just place them in a stock pot. Preheat the oven to 350F and bake for about 45 minutes.

You could remove the skin but in this recipe I find that it helps to hold the apple together as it bakes, also it adds extra fiber which is always a plus

Do I have to preheat? I want to make them tonight!

I found the recipe to not call for enough stuffing. The apples I used were even on the smaller size and I doubled the stuffing recipe. Next time I am going to make way more stuffing and add more walnuts.

found this recipe on twitter and i plan to make these this weekend!

Thanks for writing in. Sure you could do these in the oven in a large disposable roasting pan and just double the recipe. Preheat the oven to 350F and cover them. They’ll take about 45 minutes to one hour in the oven. They also taste delish with a scoop of low-fat frozen vanilla yogurt.

I’m not much of a chef, but I really want to make these

This looks delicious! Quick question… when you said, “Pour in the apple juice or cider and the liquor” do you mean pour INTO the apple or crock pot? Thanks!

You can pour both around the apples, inside the crock pot. Have a great Fall!

These look SO yummy, I am really excited to make these, but I was wondering, are the apples cored all the way through to the bottom or are they more like little cups, holding the “stuffing” in?

I use my crock pot all the time because I also work, so I am constantly trying to find recipes. I was thrilled to find this one since everyone in my family loves apples. Okay – I made this last month and everyone went crazy over it! It made the house smell so warm and cozy (added benefit!!). I have made this three times since and keep getting more requests for it! I guess this one is a keeper!!

Apple lime juice should work! You can use apple cider vinegar but mix it with water and a teaspoon of sugar.

I can’t wait to try your recipe! But I have a question. Just out of curiosity, why do you have to pre-heat the crock pot for 3 hours prior to even cooking the apples? Couldn’t you just put them in when you start the crockpot and extend cooking time to 5 instead of 2.5 hours?

Thanks for your note! I usually preheat the crock pot just 30 minutes before I add them, not need to preheat longer

Do you pour the apple juice/cider into each individual apple? Or just in the bottom of the crockpot/pan?

This recipe looks AWESOME and I’m so excited to make it tonight for a Halloween party!!!

I am living in south korea and it is very uncommon for any of the foreign community here to have an oven or a crockpot. I do, of course, have a rice cooker. Would it be completely impossible to make something like this? A group of my friends have decided to try doing a potluck thanksgiving here, but finding no bake holiday recipes is sooo difficult.

Heather

Does the type of apple you use make a difference?

Hi Heather,

A 7X11 casserole dish would work great. A glass baking dish is also an option, just be sure to lower the heat slightly 5-10 degrees since glass can cause food to burn.

Delicious! My hubby was excited when he saw me preparing them, but when they were done he said ,”That looks gross.” But then he licked the bowl! We added 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream. Loved it! So glad I made extras (4 total) so we can have them tomorrow night!!

Delish! I will have to make these for my next dinner party. They will be perfect after a big meal. I would be tempted to add oatmeal, since I am almost always out of nuts when I need them….thanks for sharing!

Sure you can add oatmeal in place of the nuts!

I would use the same 1/4 of quick oats and just add a tablespoon of water to moisten them before stuffing the apples. Let me know how it turns out!

So, I am using my crock pot now, for another meal, which takes 10 hours…. If I did cook these in the oven I saw to cook them @ 350 for 45 mins… How deep of a dish? Like a glass Pyrex? ANDD… Does it make a difference in taste/quality to cook them in a Crock? If so, I will wait till tomorrow.. I can’t WAIT to try these..

Sure- I’m not sure how long since I’ve never done it, but I would imagine maybe 1 addition hour?

Cute! Hope the girls enjoy, you can also make “mini” apples if you can find those small lady apples. Cut the cooking time in half

Just want to clarify, you let the crock pot heat on high for 3 hours and then cook the apples for an additional 2 1/2 to 3 hours?

Hey Stephanie, you cook the apples 2 1/2 to 3 hours after you preset, no additional time needed.

How about using Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread in place of the margarine?

I have cooked these apples many times around a campfire. Just wrap in foil and place on the grates you use for cooking, or if you have a fire ring, around the edge of it. I have also placed them on the grill….SUPER YUMMY

Do you think that putting these in foil and making them in a smoker would work as well? We are looking for recipes to do a “Smokehouse Christmas” theme this year and we want to make everything in the smoker, from the meats and sides to desserts. I was thinking they would take about as long as in the oven, it will probably be set around 275 for temp, maybe 1-1 1/2 hours?

Any suggestions on what would be the easiest method to make large quantities of these for a party?

Just made these today and found high heat cooked too fast in my crockpot. Next time I will cook on med. Also after coring and ready to put filing in, I was afraid the apple would lose the filling so I wrapped a small piece of foil around the bottom of the apple to hold the juices in. Yummy.

These look great. I have a question… your instructions say preheat then preset then cook, so I am confused by that. I’ve never seen a pre-heat on a crockpot recipe. I put food in and press the button with low 8 or 10, and high 4 or 6.

Oh my gosh, that’s soooo romantic! I love that idea. Usually you can add 2 hours if you do low heat. You could also gently warm them in a preheated oven at 300F for 15 minutes…

These look delicious, and I’ll bet the kitchen would smell amazing while they cook! I’m going to make a few batches of these for my parents’ annual Halloween bonfire. Perfect fall dessert

these are in our slower cooker now, thanks to my 13yr old daughter! she cant eat nuts so replaced them with raisins and chocolate chips! man alive our house is starting to smell good

Heather

I’m a little confused, maybe didn’t read the recipe right. Do you pour the Applejuice/cider AROUND the apples in the crockpot, or INSIDE the apples with the cinnamon mixture?

I made this the other day but with a few changes. I used oats rather than nuts and added a few raisins and a touch of nutmeg. They turned out great !! My daughter loved them !! I will be making this again real soon !!

So when it says “pour in the apple cider….” does that mean just pour some in each apple center? Or in the actual crock pot?

Just around the apples inside the crockpot, no need to pour in the center

So when you say “preheat the crock pot and set to 3 hours” does that mean turn it on and set it to immediately cook the apples in 3 hours or turn it on and let it sit and preheat for 3 hours before you put the apples in?

No just turn it on for 10 minutes while you make the apples then set it to 3 hours and place the apples inside

I found this recipe through pintrest and saved it for the day I get a slow cooker. The day has come and this is going to be the first thing I make in it. It makes it even more exciting that you’re from PIttsburgh because thats where I’m originally from so its like a comfort from home

Can we add oats to this apple bake? Since I don't have walnuts?

Heather

Let the apples cool and place them in an air-tight container then store in the fridge for up to three days.

Would you recommend adding some OJ or orange essential oil, rather than the liquor, or just leave it out all together?

I make something very simililer I like to put walnuts pecans an a whole cinn stick it looks really nice when serving along side warm pudding yummmm.

She mentioned earlier that 1/4 cup of quick oats can be substituted for the nuts. She said that add a tablespoon of water to the oats first to moisten them before adding to the mixture.

Sounds good but I'd prefer to use real grass fed butter instead of synthetic margarine. Real fats will actually make the dessert more satisfying! Thanks for the recipe!

What if you don’t have a pairing knife or grapefruit spoon, what is an easy way to core the apples? I would love to make this soon.

HI, I really would love to make these, but even the smell of butter/margerine makes my fiance sick. Do you think it would come out fine if I use olive oil instead?

Oooh! These look and sound soo yummy(: I am going to make these tonight for a yummy Halloween treat!

Margarine is a carcinogenic because of the high temps required to make it.

Yes, they were tasty, and it was nice to have a warm desert ready after dinner without the extra effort. I'll just eliminate the preheating step next time.

it says to "pre-set", not pre-heat. many of the newer crocks can be set for a specific amount of time, then it switches automatically to warm when the time is up.

I just read all this & it actually doesn't say anywhere that u need to preheat your crockpot… Sorry to hear u had to replace it, but it actually says to put the ingredients into the crockpot & THEN preset to 3 hrs on high. Just an observation!

Hey Pam I removed the preheating step although I’ve never had issues with it.