American (Loma Linda / Adventist) · Loma Linda · dessert

Baked Apples with Cinnamon Oat Crumble

Baked Apples with Cinnamon Oat Crumble

A dessert that Loma Linda home cooks have been making for generations — whole apples cored and filled with a toasty oat-pecan crumble, sweetened with maple syrup and warm with cinnamon. It bakes in about 35 minutes, smells like a fall kitchen, and lands on the table looking like you fussed when you didn't. A spoonful of plain Greek yogurt on the side turns it into something almost sundae-like.

• large firm baking apples (such as Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Rome Beauty)

  4 whole apples (about 2 lb total)

  4 whole apples (about 900g total)

• old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

  1/2 cup

  45g

• raw pecan halves, roughly chopped

  1/3 cup

  35g

• pure maple syrup

  3 tablespoons

  45ml

• unsalted butter, melted (or coconut oil for dairy-free)

  1 tablespoon

  14g

• ground cinnamon

  1 teaspoon

  2g

• ground nutmeg

  1/8 teaspoon

  0.3g

• fine sea salt

  1/8 teaspoon

  0.5g

• pure vanilla extract

  1/2 teaspoon

  2.5ml

• warm water (for the baking dish)

  1/2 cup

  120ml

• plain nonfat Greek yogurt (for serving)

  1/2 cup

  120g

1. 01

   2 min

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Set a rack in the center position. Get out an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) baking dish or any dish snug enough that the apples won't tip over.

2. 02

   8 min

   Core each apple: use a melon baller or a sturdy teaspoon to scoop out the core and seeds, working from the stem end down. Stop about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) from the bottom — you want a cup, not a tunnel. Widen the cavity a bit so it holds a generous tablespoon of filling. Stand the cored apples upright in the baking dish.

3. 03

   3 min

   In a small bowl, stir together the rolled oats, chopped pecans, maple syrup, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla. Mix until the oats and nuts are evenly coated — the mixture should clump slightly when pressed.

4. 04

   2 min

   Divide the oat-pecan filling evenly among the four apples, pressing it gently into each cavity and mounding any extra on top. It's fine if a little spills over — it will toast nicely in the pan.

5. 05

   1 min

   Pour the warm water into the bottom of the baking dish (not over the apples). This creates steam that keeps the apples from drying out and produces a light pan syrup you can spoon over at serving.

6. 06

   35 min

   Bake uncovered for 30–35 minutes, until the apples are tender when pierced with a paring knife and the crumble tops are golden. Larger apples may need the full 35 minutes; smaller ones check at 28. If the tops brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes.

7. 07

   5 min

   Remove from the oven and let the apples rest in the dish for 5 minutes — they're extremely hot inside and the filling will set slightly. Use a wide spoon or spatula to transfer each apple to a bowl. Spoon any pan juices over the top.

8. 08

   1 min

   Serve warm with a generous dollop (about 2 tablespoons / 30g) of plain Greek yogurt alongside each apple. The cool, tangy yogurt against the warm cinnamon crumble is the whole point.

• · LLM tiebreak failed for "raw pecan halves" — picked first result as fallback

Reheating · Baklava, basbousa, namoura. Sugar acts as a preservative — many keep 3 days at room temp.

Source: foodkeeper