Cranberry and Walnut Baked Apples

Baked apples stuffed with a mixture of dried cranberries, walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon makes a delicious, healthy snack. 

I was never a big "sweets" person, but every now and then the cravings strike. These Baked Apples were fantastic and at only 238 calories each, we didn't feel any food guilt at all!

My husband and I have been following the Noom diet for a few months and have lost quite a bit of weight so far. We have had a few setbacks; like covid and my surgery; which stalled us a bit.

However, we didn't gain back the loss and have been able to maintain our progress so far. We really like the program because we can basically eat whatever we want, within moderation; so we're not depriving ourselves of food we love. 

That includes dessert when the  mood strikes! This gluten free recipe can be ready in 30 minutes for a healthy snack option any time of day and makes four apples.

These baked apples are loaded with flavor without all of those extra calories, has 6g of fiber and only 7g of fat. Enjoy!

Baking Apples

When baking apples, you need to select an apple that is firm enough to hold up during the cooking process.

While McIntosh work well for pies and applesauce, the following apples will hold their shape better when baking whole.

Depending on the time of year and which apples are in season, you can use any of the following apples for this recipe. 

• Cortland
• Honey Gold
• Gala
• Fuji
• Jonathan
• Granny Smith
• Haralson
• Newtown Pippin
• Braeburn
• Honey Gold

Suggested Equipment

• Vegetable Brush
• Apple Corer
• Paring Knife
• Cutting Board
• Small Baking Dish

Ingredients Needed

For this recipe you'll need the following ingredients: 

Apples: I used gala apples in this recipe because they're in season from August-March and were available at the time I made this recipe.

Gala apples are sweet with a reddish-orange and yellow-striped skin. See above for other varieties you can use. 

Dried Cranberries: Apple and cranberries go well together, but you can use any other dried fruit combination. 

Light Brown Sugar

Chopped Walnuts: Pecans or almonds can be substituted. 

Ground Cinnamon

Butter

Water

How do you make Baked Apples?

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Gently wash the skins of the apple with a vegetable brush under cold water. Slice off the top of the apple by the stem; then core out the center of each apple. 

If the apple doesn't sit flat, you can slice of a thin layer from the bottom as well. Using the apple corer, cut out the center pieces of the apple leaving a ½-inch border around the apple. 

Repeat for all apples; then place the shells into a baking dish.Dice the inside apple cores into pieces and place in a bowl along with the cranberries, sugar, walnuts and cinnamon.

Mix well; then stuff each apple with the mixture. Cut the butter into quarters and place on top of each apple.

Add the water to the bottom of the dish and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until the apples are fork tender and golden brown. 

You can serve hot or cold alone or topped with your favorite ice cream. 

Storage

Once the apples are cool, you can store them in an airtight container for up to four days in the refrigerator. 

VISIT THE RECIPE INDEX TO SEARCH FOR MORE RECIPES BY CATEGORY.

More Apple Recipes

• Homemade Cinnamon Apple Chips
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
• Baked Brie en Croute with Apples and Pecans
• Cranberry, Pumpkin and Apple Quick Bread
• Ham, Apple and Cheddar Breakfast Strata
• 20 Apple Dessert Recipes

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