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Small brown ceramic bowl with orange-patterned stem, filled with baked caramel apples and hazelnuts.
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Honey-Baked Apples Recipe

Hazelnut Honey Baked Apples are a quintessential cozy, fall dessert. With an almost creamy, soft texture, and a caramel-like hazelnut sauce, they're magical! The prep is minimal, and your house will smell like a bakery.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dessert for party, fall comfort food recipes
Servings: 6
Calories: 173kcal
Author: Valentina K. Wein

Equipment

Ingredients

  • about 1 tablespoon baking soda (to peel hazelnuts if not peeled)
  • ⅓ cup hazelnuts
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2½ tablespoons Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
  • 1½ tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large or 6 small (about 1¼-pounds) crisp, tart apples (Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady)
  • salt

Instructions

  • Set oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F and adjust a rack to the center.
  • Blanch and peel hazelnuts. 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. 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, and set them aside.
  • Make the sauce/syrup. In a small mixing bowl, combine the honey with the melted butter, Frangelico, and vanilla. Pour about ¼ of this nto 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.
  • Prepare the apples. Peel the apples, slice them in half lengthwise, and core them. 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. 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. (They shouldn't be right on top of the apples, along the sides and between them is best.) 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, and they will have shrunk.
  • Cool and serve. 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.

Notes

Nutritional information is automatically calculated, so it should only be used as an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.4mg