Baked Apple Desserts (how to make 6 MORE)

Don’t you hate it when you just want to see the recipe, and you have to scroll through a bunch of trivia to find it? Me, too! Here is a series of simple, straight-forward apple recipes, without any clutter. Read on for a basic overview and printable recipes for baked apples, apple cobbler, fried apples, apple pan dowdy, Eve’s pudding, and apple Charlotte.

Table of Contents

• Baked Apples: a healthy, whole-fruit dessert
  • Baked Apple Recipe: Ingredients
  • How to Make Baked Apples 
  • Baked Apples Printable Recipe
  • Baked Apple Tips for Success
• Apple Cobbler: a biscuit-capped beauty
  • Apple Cobbler Recipe: Ingredients
    • For the Filling:
    • For the Topping:
  • How to Make Apple Cobbler 
  • Apple Cobbler Printable Recipe
  • Apple Cobbler Tips for Success
• Fried Apples: the perfect snack after raking leaves!
  • Fried Apples Recipe: Ingredients
  • How to Make Fried Apples 
  • Fried Apples Printable Recipe
  • Fried Apples Tips for Success
• Apple Pandowdy, AKA “Pan Dowdy”
  • Apple Pan Dowdy Recipe: Ingredients
  • How to Make Apple Pandowdy
  • Apple Pandowdy Printable Recipe
  • Apple Pandowdy Tips for Success
• Eves Pudding (a common misspelling of Eve’s Pudding)
  • Eve’s Pudding Recipe: Ingredients
    • Filling:
    • Sponge Topping:
  • How to Make Eve’s Pudding 
  • Eves Pudding Printable Recipe
  • Eve’s Pudding Tips for Success
• Apple Charlotte: deceptively simple!
  • Apple Charlotte Recipe: Ingredients
  • How to Make Apple Charlotte 
  • Apple Charlotte Printable Recipe
  • Apple Charlotte Tips for Success
• Apple Q & A: MORE of the most-asked questions about apples
  • How do you slice apples for a cobbler?
  • What is the best method for cooking apple?
  • Which nuts go well with apple?
  • Are apples a healthy breakfast?
  • What should I eat with apples for breakfast?
• Resources for Further Exploration 

Baked Apples: a healthy, whole-fruit dessert

Baked apples are a great food for breaking out of the daily vegetable rut.  If your kids get tired of vegetables sometimes, surprise them with a baked apple next to that piece of chicken or pork chop!

A baked apple is a whole apple, which has been stuffed with raisins, sugar, and cinnamon in the hole where the core used to be.

Check out my recipe, just below, for a baked apple that is healthy enough to serve in place of a vegetable at dinner (ok, maybe not every night…).

Baked Apple Recipe: Ingredients

• 4 apples
• 1/4c. raisins 
• 1/4c. brown sugar 
• cinnamon for sprinkling

How to Make Baked Apples

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Core the apples. 
3. Place in a greased baking dish. 
4. Poke 1T. of raisins into the hole of each apple. 
5. Pack 1T. of brown sugar into each apple,  along with the raisins, leaving a bit to sprinkle on top. 
6. Shake cinnamon over the top of the apples. 
7. Bake 15-30 minutes.

Baked Apples Printable Recipe

Baked Apple Tips for Success

• Nuts make a good addition to a baked apple.  I like walnuts, peanuts, or cashews.
• The shorter baking time applies to soft apples, such as MacIntoshes.
• A handy way to bring baked apples for a crowd is to cut them in half before baking, lay the cut side facing up in a bake-and-take dish (view here), and place the filling in the channel where the core had been.  Parents and children alike will appreciate this tasty, healthier offering.

Apple Cobbler: a biscuit-capped beauty

Cobblers can be made with many different fruits.  I like serving cobbler for breakfast sometimes, since it combines the goodness of fruit with substantial biscuit.

Apple cobbler features stewed apples with butter, sugar, and cinnamon, topped with a hearty biscuit crust.

Read on for a cobbler recipe you’ll feel good about serving to your family any time of the day.

Apple Cobbler Recipe: Ingredients

For the Filling:

• 3/4 c. brown sugar 
• 2T. flour 
• 1 t. cinnamon 
• pinch nutmeg 
• 6 apples, cored and cubed

For the Topping:

• 1c. flour 
• 1 1/2t. baking powder 
• 1/4t. salt
• 1T. sugar 
• 1/4c. butter
• 1/4c. milk
• 1 egg
• sparkling sugar

How to Make Apple Cobbler

• In a 2-quart pot, stir together filling ingredients to coat. 
• Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rest of the recipe. 
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
• Grease a 2-quart casserole dish. 
• Prepare topping: sift together dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. 
• Cut in the butter. 
• In this mixture, form a well. Pour the milk into it, followed by the egg, and gently scramble the egg with a fork. 
• Gently and briefly stir the topping together, using a silicone spatula, in 15 strokes. 
• Assemble the cobbler: pour the cooked filling into the casserole. 
• Scoop the topping by Tablespoons onto the filling. 
• Sprinkle with sparkling sugar and some more cinnamon. 
• Bake 25 minutes. 

Apple Cobbler Printable Recipe

Apple Cobbler Tips for Success

• A great combination of apples for this is 3 MacIntoshes and 3 green baking apples, such as Granny Smith. This way, you get tender chunks of apple in a thick apple sauce. 
• To adapt for a crowd, simply increase entire recipe by 1/2, and tote it along in this great bake-and-take (view here). 
• Too sweet? Cut the brown sugar in the filling down to 1/3 cup. 

Fried Apples: the perfect snack after raking leaves!

Many people mistake sautéed apples for fried apples. Sautéed apples are not fried, but cooked down to a saucy tenderness, using a frying pan. 

Fried apples are cut into rings, dipped in batter, and fried in hot oil; making them crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. 

Here’s a look at recipe, with a printable copy just below. 

Fried Apples Recipe: Ingredients

• 1c. flour
• 1T. sugar
• 1t. baking powder
• 1/2t. baking soda
• 1/4t. salt
• 1 egg
• 2/3c. milk
• 2T. butter
• 4 firm apples
• confectioners’ sugar

How to Make Fried Apples

1. Sift together dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl, and set aside.
2. In a similar bowl, beat the wet ingredients, except the apples.
3. Use a silicone spatula to mix the wet into the dry with about 15 strokes. Set batter aside.
4. Heat 1″ of oil in an electric skillet to 375 degrees, while you slice the apples into 1/4″ thick rings.
5. Working one slice at a time, dip the apples into the batter and add to the oil.
6. Each slice should take about 3 minutes, turning as the first side browns.
7. Remove each slice to a paper-towel-lined plate, as they finish.
8. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar just before serving.

Fried Apples Printable Recipe

Fried Apples Tips for Success

• You can use a frying pan on the stovetop, rather than an electric skillet, but it’s harder to keep the temperature just right.  Also, the larger surface of the electric skillet (view here) means that you can fry more slices at once.
• While frying, add apples in an organized way, so it’s easier to monitor their progress. This is another example of how handy the electric skillet can be – With its rectangular shape, it’s easy to add the apples in straight rows.
• For an even tastier treat, shake finished apples in a paper bag with 1/4c. of confectioners sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Apple Pandowdy, AKA “Pan Dowdy”

If Apple Cobbler married Eve’s Pudding, the baby would be named Apple Pandowdy!  

Pandowdy’s cakey topping is more tender than the biscuit topping of a cobbler, but not quite as delicate as the spongecake atop an Eve’s Pudding.

Another thing that sets Pandowdy apart from the rest is that it is baked in two stages: the apples are baked first, and then the cake batter is added to the top, halfway through the baking time.

Apple Pan Dowdy Recipe: Ingredients

• 4 apples
• 1/3c. dark brown sugar
• 1/2t. cinnamon
• 1/4t. nutmeg
• 3/4c. flour
• 1/2t. baking powder
• 1/4t. baking soda
• 1/4t. salt
• 1/4c. butter
• 1/3c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2t. vanilla
• 1/3c. milk 

How to Make Apple Pandowdy

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease an 8″ round baking pan.
3. Core and cut up apples, putting the slices into the pan.
4. Add the brown sugar and spices, and toss to coat.
5. Bake for 1/2 hour, while preparing the batter.
6. Sift remaining dry ingredients (except sugar), and set aside.
7. Cream the butter until fluffy and light.
8. Add sugar, and cream for 3 minutes.
9. Beat in egg and vanilla.
10. Add milk alternately with dry mixture, and beat until smooth.
11. Remove the apples from the oven, and spread the batter over the top of them.
12. Return pan to the oven for another half-hour, until cake is golden brown and springs back when poked lightly.

Apple Pandowdy Printable Recipe

Apple Pandowdy Tips for Success

• It’s good hot with cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• May be baked in a pie plate or other glass baking dish.
• Recipe is easily doubled for a 9″x13″ glass baking dish (view dish here).

Eves Pudding (a common misspelling of Eve’s Pudding)

Eve’s Pudding is sort of like apple cobbler with a British twist – A delicate spongecake crown, instead of the biscuit topping one would find on a cobbler.

This Eve’s Pudding recipe has an exceptionally good sponge on top, due to warming the milk and butter together before adding them to the batter.

The “hot milk” technique of baking a sponge cake is well worth learning, because it makes a great cake on its own.  

Eve’s Pudding Recipe: Ingredients

Filling:

• 3/4 c. brown sugar 
• 2T. flour 
• 1 t. cinnamon 
• pinch nutmeg 
• 6 apples, cored and cubed

Sponge Topping:

• 1c. flour
• 1t. baking powder
• 1/4t. salt
• 1/2c. milk
• 2T. butter
• 2 eggs
• 1c. sugar
• 1t. vanilla

How to Make Eve’s Pudding 

1. In a 2-quart pot, stir together filling ingredients to coat. 
2. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rest of the recipe. 
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
4. Grease a 8″ x 8″ square glass baking pan.
5. Prepare the sponge batter: Stir together dry ingredients (except sugar), and set aside.
6. Microwave milk and butter in a Pyrex measuring cup, covered, until milk is hot (30 or more seconds), and set aside.
7. In bowl of electric mixer, beat eggs for about 3 minutes, until thick and yellow.
8. Continue beating for another 4-5 minutes, as you gradually add the sugar.
9. Add dry mixture, beating until just blended.
10. Stir in hot milk mixture and vanilla, and mix well.
11. Assemble pudding: spoon the fruit mixture into baking dish. Spread batter gently over the top.
12. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. 

Eves Pudding Printable Recipe

Eve’s Pudding Tips for Success

• Feel free to substitute a different fruit for half or all of the apples.
• Use a firm apple, like Granny Smith, for toothsome chunks of baked apple.  For a saucier Eve’s Pudding, use a soft apple, such as MacIntosh.
• This USA-made glass baking dish is built to last for generations.

Apple Charlotte: deceptively simple!

It sounds fancy, with its royal name, but Apple Charlotte is really a simple, homespun dessert.

Apple Charlotte is a sweet apple mixture encased in a tasty, neat crust, which is fashioned from bread slices. 

Your family will think you worked all afternoon when they see this elegant-looking dessert.  Here’s a quick look at how to make it, followed by a printable recipe.

Apple Charlotte Recipe: Ingredients

• 3/4 c. brown sugar 
• 2T. flour 
• 1 t. cinnamon 
• pinch nutmeg 
• 6 apples, cored and cubed
• 6-8 slices bread
• 1/2 stick butter, melted

How to Make Apple Charlotte 

1. In a 2-quart pot, stir together filling ingredients to coat. 
2. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rest of the recipe. 
3. Trim the crusts from the bread. 
4. Run a rolling pin gently over the bread slices. 
5. Brush bread generously with butter. 
6. Completely cover the inside of the basin with the bread, reserving enough for the top. Press edges together as needed. 
7. Add the apples. 
8. Use the rest of the bread to cover the apples, pinching it together, as though it was a pie crust. 
9. Bake for 40 minutes, until well-browned. 
10. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen around the edges with a knife before turning it out, onto a platter. 

Apple Charlotte Printable Recipe

Apple Charlotte Tips for Success

• Just a basic sandwich bread makes a  good Charlotte, but it out can make it more wholesome with whole wheat bread, or sweeter with brioche. 
• If you use a sweeter bread, you may wish to cut the sugar a bit. 
• if you don’t have a pudding basin, a 1 1/2 quart Pyrex bowl makes a good stand-in. In a pinch, you could even make it in a large tomato can.  You really should treat yourself to the authentic experience, though.  You’ll find endless uses for this sturdy, deep, unusual “bowl,” made in Portugal (view here).

Apple Q & A: MORE of the most-asked questions about apples

How do you slice apples for a cobbler?

For cobbler, you need to cut the apples into thick shapes. Because they will cook on the stovetop and then some more in the oven, thinner shapes would cook down to mush. Applesauce cobbler, anyone? 

What is the best method for cooking apple?

If you have an overwhelming amount of apples, the best method for cooking them is to make applesauce. Doing so is actually very simple. 

Core the apples and dice them into 1” cubes (do not peel). Put them into a large pot with a spoonful of sugar, 2 oz. water, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Then, simply cook them over medium heat, until they liquify. I like the peels, but if you do not, simply push your finished applesauce through a colander. 

Applesauce freezes beautifully. Also, kids who might not eat a piece of fruit in their lunchbags may be very happy with a cute, little container of applesauce. Dollar Tree has disposable containers in 10-packs. 

Which nuts go well with apple?

The classic nut for apples is the walnut. Sliced almonds go well with apples, too. Cashews taste great in an apple salad. 

My favorite apple/nut combination is peanut butter spread on apple slices. 

Are apples a healthy breakfast?

Yes! As a fruit and a whole food, you know apples are healthy.  Usually when we think of a breakfast fruit, oranges come to mind; but the apple is a good choice for those looking for something more substantial. As Dr. Axe says,

Apples are a bit higher in calories and provide more fiber than oranges.”

Dr. Axe

For even better health, Dr. Andrew Weil encourages patients to choose organic when buying apples: 

Apples are a popular fruit, but unfortunately, they usually rank among the 12 top fruits and vegetables contaminated by pesticides in tests run by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) which investigates environmental threats to health.”

Dr. Andrew Weil

What should I eat with apples for breakfast?

For a satisfying breakfast that will keep you feeling alert and energized through the morning, it’s hard to beat apples in oatmeal. Don’t use the instant kind, it metabolizes too quickly. Simply stir oats, water, diced apple, cinnamon, salt, and sugar to taste together, and microwave for a minute or two. 

Apple and oats stay with you longer, because they are low on the glycemic index. The staff at the Harvard School of Public Health describes why this works:

The glycemic index ranks carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 based on how quickly and how much they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high glycemic index, like white bread, are rapidly digested and cause substantial fluctuations in blood sugar. Foods with a low glycemic index, like whole oats, are digested more slowly, prompting a more gradual rise in blood sugar.”

Staff, Harvard School of Public Health

Resources for Further Exploration 

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