October 27, 2023

Cinnamon Streusel Baked Apples Recipe – Easy to Make Gluten-Free

This Cinnamon Streusel Baked Apples Recipe is the perfect autumn dessert and beautiful enough to be a centerpiece at Thanksgiving with very little effort on your part.

Inspired by C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia books, this baked apples recipe finds its likeness in a charming passage of The Silver Chair where Dwarfs feed the children a delicious meal of “…great mugs of frothy chocolate, and roast potatoes and roast chestnuts, and baked apples with raisins stuck in where the cores had been…”

Not only is this recipe delightfully easy, and quite tasty, it is also easy to make gluten-free (scroll down for the gluten-free note), and best of all, it will make your whole house smell like autumn.

Pair this Cinnamon Streusel Baked Apples Recipe with a hearty black tea such as Indian Assam, a spiced scented black tea like Hearthside Toddy, or a warm herbal like Harvest Apple Chamomile and enjoy!

Cinnamon Streusel Baked Apples Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Bake Time: 30 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 gala apples
4 tsp. orange juice, divided
15 pecan halves, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. rolled oats
¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
3 Tbsp. raisins
¼ + 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg, slightly rounded
4 ½ Tbsp. cold, salted butter, cubed
zest from a small orange

1 Tbsp. cinnamon mixed with ¼ cup sugar for sprinkling
4 pecan halves for topping

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Cut off the top of the apples (about 1/8 to 1/4 inch) to make a flat surface. Flip the apples over.
Using a small paring knife, cut around the core of the apple, being careful not to cut all the way through to the bottom, then scoop out the core using a grapefruit spoon or melon baller.
Arrange the apples in a baking dish and put 2 tablespoons of water in the bottom of the dish. Put 1 teaspoon of orange juice into each apple.
For the streusel filling, stir the chopped pecans, rolled oats, brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the butter and orange zest and mix with your fingers, rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until everything is evenly combined.
Divide the mixture evenly between the four apples. Press the mixture down into the cavities and then allow it to mound on top.
Bake for 30 minutes on the center rack.
Garnish with cinnamon sugar mixture and top with a pecan half.
Serve warm.