Bloomin' Baked Apples Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the top 5 apples for baking? ›

For the best pies, crisps, and other baked treats, apples need to be firm enough to hold their own during the cooking process. We call these apples “baking apples” and to namedrop, they include Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Haralson, and Newtown Pippin.

Choose the Right Apples

Some varieties turn to mush so fast they explode out of their skins, while some stay weirdly firm. Either way they're edible, but not ideal—a baked apple should stay intact but be soft enough to eat with a spoon.

What Makes A Good Apple For Apple Crisp? The best apples for baking keep their structure under heat, which prevents the chunks of fruit from turning into mush after baking. The firm and crisp Granny Smith and Honeycrisp varieties are popular apples to use in apple pies and apple crisps.

Avoid soft, mushy apples. I use Granny Smith because overall, its flavor and texture are the best for baking. I also love sweet apples in this bread like Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Pink Lady. Applesauce: If you don't have unsweetened applesauce, use the same amount of plain yogurt or sour cream.

Honeycrisp (Sweet)

They're extra juicy and very crisp with a honey-sweet flavor that translates wonderfully into baked goods. AND they are the star of the show in my Honeycrisp apple sangria.

Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30 to 45 minutes, until the apples are cooked through and tender, but not overcooked and mushy. When done, remove the apples from the oven and baste them with the juices from the pan.

This is caused by an enzyme (polyphenol oxidase and catechol oxidase are two common examples) that reacts with oxygen in the air and an iron or copper cofactor in the fruit. A cofactor is a component that is necessary for a certain enzymatic reactions to happen.

Whisk water and cornstarch together in a separate cup to make a slurry, then add to apples while gently stirring over medium-high heat. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture begins to bubble to make sure the cornstarch is fully cooked. Remove the mixture from the heat.

According to this equivalent list, 10 cups of sliced apples requires 10 medium apples. To be on the safe side, buy one additional apple. You don't want to run short—after all, it's always better to have too many ingredients than too few!

How many apples are 4 cups? ›

If a recipe calls for one cup of peeled and chopped apples, for example, the size of your dice and fineness of your cuts will affect how you convert from pounds. Generally speaking, one pound of roughly chopped apples yields four cups.

Red Delicious Apples

They've got more polyphenolic compounds than most other apples, with most of the nutrition in the skin – so be sure not to peel them before chowing down. Red Delicious apples contain more anthocyanidins that provide their color and powerful antioxidants.

There are a few apples that don't make the cut. While great for snacking, Gala, Fuji and Red Delicious are the most common apples that won't hold up in the oven and will give you a watery-mushy pie, tart or cake.

Honeycrisp. One of the sweetest apples around, this Midwestern favorite is good for anything—including baking. It boasts a distinctive juicy crispness and is firm enough that it won't cook down much. It complements just about any other apple variety to make a stellar pie.

Granny Smith.

Firm and very tart, this variety is the go-to for many when it comes to pie because it keeps its shape extremely well. But it isn't exactly known for its flavor, so Granny Smiths are best used in conjunction with sweeter and/or more flavorful apples.

Feel free to leave the peel on if desired. The best apples to use in these healthy apple muffins are a sweet variety like Pink Lady, Honey Crisp, or Fuji. Or you can use 1 tart apple like Granny Smith and 1 sweet. A combination of flavor profiles can be important in baked goods, especially apple pie or apple crisp.