These tender baked hasselback apples are coated in a spiced butter and topped with a crunchy pecan crumble. The perfect apple dessert, especially when topped with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
📝 Why You’ll Love These Baked Hasselback Apples:
- Flavor Notes: Sweet, spiced with cinnamon, buttery, nutty, with hints of orange.
- Texture: Tender apples with a crunchy crumble on top.
- Difficulty: Once you get the hang of slicing the apples, they are so easy to make!
- Customizability: Use your favorite type of apple and swap in your favorite nuts.
- Why We Love These Baked Apples: You may have heard of hasselback potatoes…but have you tried hasselback apples before? I love this recipe because it’s basically all the best parts of a tender baked apple combined with an apple crisp or apple crumble. Perfect for fall, winter or holidays like Thanksgiving.
Ingredients:
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
All-Purpose Flour: For the crumble. You can use an All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend instead.
Vegan Butter: This is for both the crumble and the spiced butter. It can be swapped 1:1 with regular butter.
Spices: I love a simple mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. You could use apple pie spice too.
Light Brown Sugar: To help sweeten the crumble and add a caramel flavor. I recommend using a granulated sweetener vs. a liquid one like pure maple syrup. You could use regular cane sugar or coconut sugar.
Pecans: These add a delicious nutty flavor. You could also use walnuts or even hazelnuts.
Apples: I used Autumn Glory apples in this recipe which have a sweet, cinnamon flavor by themselves. This variety is a firm apple that holds up very very well when baked. I’ve also tested this recipe with Honeycrisp apples. They were also delicious, but baked up softer and didn’t hold their shape quite as well. The most important note is that a bulk of the flavor comes from the apples, so use your favorite apple variety (for example Pink Lady, Gala, etc).
Orange Zest: Optional but adds a hint of festive, holiday flavor.
Helpful Equipment
Here are a few tools that will make creating this recipe extra easy:
- Cutting Board: for slicing the apples
- Wooden Skewer or Chopsticks: to prevent your knife from cutting all the way through the apple
- Melon Baller or Apple Corer: to remove the apple core
- Sharp Knife: for making hasselback slices
- Produce Peeler: to peel the apples
- Spoon or Pastry Brush: for brushing the spiced butter
Step-by-Step Instructions
*Ingredient Quantities are in the Recipe Card Below!*
STEP 1: In a medium bowl, mix together the butter and flour to make a coarse crumble. Mix in the cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, brown sugar, and pecans. Set aside.
STEP 2: Lightly grease a 9×13” baking dish. Preheat the oven to 375F.
STEP 3: Make the spiced butter by combining the melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest.
STEP 4: Peel the apples and use an apple corer to remove the center. Or if using a melon baller proceed to the next step.
STEP 5: Slice the apples in half vertically. If using a melon baller, remove the apple core and place cut sides down on the cutting board.
STEP 6: Cut thin, even slices across each apple half, stopping 3/4 of the way down to keep the apple intact. For easier slicing, place chopsticks or skewers on either side of the apple. This prevents the knife from cutting all the way through.
TIP: Thinly slicing the apples helps them bake faster and more evenly. The thinner the slices, the more surface area there is and the better they soak up the spiced butter.
STEP 7: Place apple halves in the prepared baking dish, flat side down. Brush the top of the apples with the melted vegan butter mixture and top with the crumble.
STEP 8: Then bake for 35-40 minutes until tender and the crumble is golden brown. If the crumble is browning too quickly, cover the pan with aluminum foil.
Serving Ideas
These baked Hasselback apples bring all the cozy flavors of apple pie… without the effort.
Apple pie happens to be one of my husband’s all-time favorite desserts. So I knew he would absolutely love these vegan baked apples because they kind of taste like a personal apple pie without the crust. After his first bite, he said they didn’t even need whipped cream or ice cream on top; they were just that good on their own!
While he loves them all on their own, I have a sweet tooth. So I love a generous dollop of vegan whipped cream on top. And I bet a drizzle of my vegan coconut caramel sauce would make them a super delicious dessert too.
With warm spices and a rich, buttery crumble, these baked apples are so easy but also impressive… perfect for Thanksgiving or any fall gathering.
I definitely recommend trying them alongside my Vegan Brioche Rolls, Vegan Pumpkin Pie, Vegan Stuffing, and Vegan Roast with Root Veggies for a holiday spread that’s comforting and all vegan!
Storage
These apples are best right out of the oven. This is when the crumble is the crunchiest and the apples are warm.
That being said, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. The crumble gets a little soggy when stored in the fridge which is why I recommend serving them fresh.
Helpful Tips For Amazing Hasselback Apples
❶ Choose The Right Apple: So much of the flavor of this recipe comes from the apple. Pick your favorite variety. I love sweet apples with caramel undertones like Autumn Glory and Honeycrisp.
❷ Peel and Core the Apples: This will help make sure the apples have the best texture.
❸ Use Chopsticks or Wooden Skewers as Guides: I highly recommend using these to prevent the knife from cutting all the way through the apple.
More Apple Desserts & Recipes
- Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cake
- Apple Gingerbread Snack Cake
- Spiced Apple Cupcakes
- Apple Crisp Shaken Espresso
- Cherry Apple Crisp
Did you make this Baked Hasselback Apple Recipe?
I’d love to know! Leave a star rating and comment below!
Baked Hasselback Apples with Pecan Crumble
Equipment
- 2 Wooden skewers or chopsticks
- Apple corer or melon baller
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
Pecan Crumble
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour - 30g
- 2 tbsp salted softened vegan butter - 28g, or butter of choice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon - 1g
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg - .5g
- ⅛ tsp ground clove - .25g
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar - 30g
- 3 tbsp pecans - 31g, finely chopped
Spiced Butter & Hasselback Apples
- 1 ½ tbsp salted melted vegan butter - 21g, or butter of choice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon - 1g
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg - .5g
- 1 tsp orange zest - 1g
- 3 large Autumn Glory apples - or Honeycrisp apples, the larger in size the better!
- Dairy-free vanilla ice cream or whipped cream - for topping
Instructions
Make the Pecan Crumble:
- In a medium bowl, add the flour and softened butter. Use a fork to create a coarse crumble. Mix in the cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, pinch of salt, brown sugar, and pecans. Set aside.¼ cup all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp salted softened vegan butter, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ⅛ tsp ground clove, 2 tbsp light brown sugar, 3 tbsp pecans, 1 pinch fine salt
Make the Hasselback Apples:
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease a 9×13” baking dish.
- Spiced Butter: In a small bowl, make the spiced butter by combining the melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest. Stir until evenly mixed and set aside.1 ½ tbsp salted melted vegan butter, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp orange zest
- Prep Apples: Peel the apples and use an apple corer to remove the center. Slice the apples in half vertically, and place each half flat side down.3 large Autumn Glory apples
- Cut Apples: Cut thin, even slices across each apple half, stopping 3/4 of the way down to keep the apple intact. For easier slicing, place chopsticks or skewers on either side of the apple. This prevents the knife from cutting all the way through.
- Brush with Spiced Butter: Place the apples flat side down in the baking dish. Brush the spiced butter mixture generously over the tops and bottoms of the sliced apples, letting the butter seep into the cuts.
- Top with Crumble: Press the prepared crumble mixture over the apples, filling in some of the slices.
- Bake the Apples: Bake for 35-40 minutes until tender and the crumble is golden brown. If the crumble is browning too quickly, cover the pan with foil. Note: Honeycrisp apples bake faster than the Autumn Glory apples. Start checking for doneness around 30 minutes.
- Serve: Let the apples cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes. Then serve warm, topped with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.Dairy-free vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
Notes
Nutrition
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