Baked Apples (with Honey and Hazelnuts)

Hazelnut Honey Baked Apples are a quintessential, cozy, fall dessert. With a soft texture, and a caramel-like hazelnut sauce, they're magical! The prep is minimal, and your house will smell like a bakery.

I love all apple desserts -- cakes, cookies, pies, crumbles -- and I definitely include my mom's ginger applesauce as dessert.

From crisp and tart, to soft and sweet, the transformation of an apple from fresh to baked is nothing short of magical.

Baked apples are the essence of fall desserts -- every bite is full of sweet comfort, and it doesn't get much better than their delicious scent wafting through the house.

With honey, Frangelico and hazelnuts, these easy-to-make baked apples stand apart from others and they'll have you swooning for more.

Ingredient Notes

• apples - Some of the best apple varieties for baking are Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Jonathan, Crimson Gold - they are all usually crisp, tart, and hold their shape well when cooked. I use a variety in this recipe. You can also use Gala or Fuji, though they're sweeter than they are tart. This is a personal preference.
• hazelnuts (also called filberts) - The recipe instructs you how to blanch and peel the nuts. This is an easy process, but you can also buy them already peeled.
• unsalted butter - Be sure it's unsalted!
• honey - Use your favorite. Substitution: If you don't have honey, you can use brown sugar.
• Frangelico - Frangelico is a hazelnut-flavored, sweet Italian liqueur.
• pure vanilla extract - The flavors of vanilla and hazelnuts complement one another beautifully.
• salt - Just a light sprinkle after the apples are baked to enhance all the flavors.

How to Make Them

- Preheat the oven to 375°F and adjust a rack to the center.

- Fill a small bowl with ice water. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add about a tablespoon of baking soda to it. Add the hazelnuts and let them blanch for about 3 minutes. The water will almost instantly turn black from the skins.

- Use a slotted spoon to remove the nuts and place them in the ice water. Then use your fingers to peel them - the skin should slide off easily. Dry them in a clean kitchen towel, roughly chop them, and then set them aside.

- In a small mixing bowl, combine the honey with the melted butter, Frangelico, and vanilla. Pour about ¼ of this into a baking dish -- one that's just big enough to comfortably hold the apples (which will be halved). The syrup should coat the bottom nicely.

Recipe Tip: If your honey is on the thick side, heat it briefly int he microwave before mixing it with the other ingredients.

- Peel the apples, slice them in half lengthwise, and core them.

* Pro Tip * While the skin doesn't have to be removed for all baked apples, for this recipe it does. Since the apples are periodically basted with the syrup, the skin would prevent it from seeping into the apple flesh, which is the key to their deliciousness.

Recipe Tips: Do not peel the apples until after you've made the syrup or they'll discolor. Also, I prefer coring apples with a melon baller and a sharp paring knife, than with an apple corer.

- Place them, as you go, into the syrup-coated baking dish, round side up. Then pour a bit more of the honey mixture over each one. Once all of the apple halves are in the baking dish, add the remaining syrup evenly over them. If the apples are not completely coated, spoon some of it over them.

- Bake the apples in the preheated 375°F oven for 45 minutes. Baste them every 10 to 15 minutes, with the syrup from the bottom of the dish. After the first 45 minutes, add the prepared hazelnuts, and use a spoon to be sure they are well coated with the syrup.

- Bake the apples for about another 15 minutes or until they're very tender, but not mushy. When you flip them over, they should be a pretty golden color, they will have shrunk, and the syrup will look like and taste a bit like caramel sauce.

Recipe Tip: When you add the hazelnuts, be sure they aren't sitting on top of the apples, so you don't risk them burning.

- Let them cool in the baking dish for about 10 minutes and then serve, flat side up, spooning hazelnuts and any excess syrup on top. Sprinkle each serving with a bit of salt.

Variations

• Other nuts. Try it with almonds and Amaretto, or pecans and praline/pecan liqueur, instead of the hazelnuts and Frangelico.
• Other fruits. Follow the same instructions, but with pears. Use Bosc, Anjou, or Comice pears because they're firm and will hold their shape well. Baking times will vary.
• Add spices. A touch of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and/or cardamom would all be a tasty addition. (I suggest going lightly as the spices can overpower the hazelnut flavor.)
• Add raisins. I especially like golden raisins with apples. They should be added when you add the hazelnuts to the baking dish.
• Add dried cranberries or cherries. Either one can be added to the baking pan with the hazelnuts.

Serving Suggestions

The baked apples are absolutely lovely on their own -- they're like a crustless apple pie! However, there are a few other delicious ways to enjoy them . . .

• Served warm, spooned over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Sliced and mixed into pancake or waffle batter.
• Sliced and wrapped into crepes.
• Use it to fill pies.
• Top it with whipped cream.
• Alongside or on pound cake, or other simple cakes without added flavors.

More Must-Try Fall Apple Recipes

Making Them Ahead

You can make the hazelnut-honey syrup a couple of days ahead, but don't add the apples and bake them until the day you're serving, up to 3 hours ahead. (Even baked apples can discolor, and while it doesn't mean they're spoiled, they won't be as appetizing.)

I hope you love honey-baked apples with hazelnuts as much as my family and I do!