The quickest, easiest dessert you can make this holiday season? Slow cooker baked apples! It’s a ‘set it and forget it’ recipe with simple ingredients and tastes so good with meals or in-between. Plus, it’ll warm up your kitchen right away!
Leaves are falling, the weather is getting colder, and the time for delicious fall treats is at hand. Along with wassail, slow cooker baked apples are one of my favorites to make at home towards the end of the year.
These crockpot apples are super easy to make and turn out soft, juicy, and delicious with a crunchy topping and a buttery sweet syrup.
The recipe is not only super easy but also uses easy-to-obtain ingredients (apples, chopped walnuts) plus some things you likely already have in your kitchen (light brown sugar and unsalted butter, for example). And it’s naturally gluten-free!
Table Of Contents
Ingredient notes
- Apples– I like Granny Mmiths for their sweet taste and crisp texture, but feel free to experiment with other apples such as Braeburn, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious, or Pink Lady.
- Butter– use cold unsalted butter for a crisp crumble
- Light brown sugar– melts into a sweet, caramelly syrup
- Walnuts– for crunch. You can substitute chopped pecans, almond slivers, or rolled oats. You can also add dried fruits such as cranberries, raisins, or apricots for extra color, texture, and nutrients.
- Apple pie spice– use store-bought or make your own blend with ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
- Salt– balances the sweetness; omit if using salted butter
Helpful Tips
- You can peel the apples if you like, but I find keeping the skin helps the fruit hold shape.
- No need to add water or any additional liquid. The butter and sugar should provide enough moisture in the slow cooker.
- You can drizzle the apples with lemon juice to prevent browning and add a bit of citrus flavor.
How to prep ahead
- Prepare the apples according to the recipe.
- Brush the peeled areas with lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet about an inch apart and freeze until firm.
- Transfer to a freezer-safe container when frozen and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely when ready to cook.
How to serve and store
- What is the best way to serve crockpot baked apples? With ice cream, of course! Vanilla is a classic choice, but try Salted Caramel ice cream for an out-of-this-world combo.
- Other favorites in my house for toppings? Whipped cream and caramel sauce. Or whipped cream, caramel sauce, AND ice cream if you want to go all out.
- For an extra decadent treat, serve the warm apples with clotted cream, creme fraiche, or half and half.
- Don’t think you have to treat slow cooker baked apples like a dessert. Top them with a generous dollop of Greek yogurt for a healthy-ish breakfast.
- For leftovers, store in a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can enjoy them cold or reheat them in a 350 F oven until warm.
Slow Cooker Baked Apples
These crockpot baked apples are super easy to make and turn out soft, juicy, and delicious with a crunchy topping and a buttery sweet syrup.
Ingredients
- 4 medium Granny Smith apples
- 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced small
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Slice the tops off of the apples. Using a melon baller, scoop out the core and seeds making a small cavity in the interior of the apples. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, walnuts, apple pie spice, and salt. Toss to distribute.
- Stuff the crumble mixture into the apples, pressing it down into the cavity.
- Arrange the stuffed apples in a single layer in the slow cooker and top with any remaining butter mixture. If some falls down into the pot that is okay.
- Cook on HIGH for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or on LOW for 1 1/2 to 3 hours or until fork-tender. Serve with ice cream or caramel sauce. Any liquid remaining in the slow cooker can be poured over the apples as well.
- Serve with ice cream or caramel sauce. Spoon any liquid remaining in the slow cooker over the apples.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 298Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 180mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 5gSugar: 32gProtein: 2g
