Make easy Crock Pot baked apples stuffed with a cinnamon, brown sugar, oatmeal mixture and slow cooked to sweet perfection.
If you love a good apple crisp or apple crumb pie, you are going to absolutely love this recipe for slow cooker baked apples. In fact, you may never want to go to the hassle of a full on pie ever again. They're that good!
Stuffed with a buttery, brown sugar, cinnamon, oatmeal mixture with just a hint of nutmeg, they're quite like individual apple crisps.
If you'd rather use your oven, I've got you covered with this recipe for sliced baked apples. You can also make quick and easy microwave cinnamon apples.
Why This Recipe Works
- You can make at least half a dozen in one batch. I'm able to fit about 7 apples in my 7-quart slow cooker. If your slow cooker is smaller, just split the recipe in half.
- Quick for a slow cooker recipe. The apples only take about 2 to 3 hours to cook when your slow cooker is set on high. So you can be enjoying these mini desserts tonight as an after dinner surprise the whole family will love.
- Ingredients are simple. All you need are apples and a few ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
Ingredient Notes
- Apples – You can pretty much use any kind of apple you can find in the store. I used Gala apples for this recipe, and they turned out delicious. When choosing your apples, you really want something that will give both a sweet and tart flavor. I love making baked apples with Honeycrisp, Jonathan, Jonagold, or Granny Smith apples. Jonagolds are a cross between Jonathans and Golden Delicious, and they are so sweet, tart, and crisp. More favorite kinds of apples to use may include Rome, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Northern Spy, and Empire.
- Salted Butter – Add a bit of salt to the recipe by using salted butter; please don't try to sub margarine, though. Go with real butter, and keep it cold 'til you're ready to use it.
- Light Brown Sugar – Dark brown sugar will completely change the texture of any recipe you're making. For this recipe, be sure to use light brown sugar for the best texture and flavor.
- Spices – I like to add cinnamon and nutmeg to the mix. Both spices pair so well with apple recipes and really draw out the flavors of the apples.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – Since these apples are slow cooking over time, we're going with old-fashioned rolled oats over quick oats.
How to Make Crock Pot Baked Apples
Making baked apples in the Crock Pot is a super easy process. Just follow these steps.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Slice cold butter into the mixing bowl, and work it into the mixture with a pastry blender.
- Core the apples and slice the top even on each apple.
- Pour the water into the slow cooker; then stuff the apples with the oatmeal mixture, packing it into the apples. Place each apple upright in the water, and add a little extra stuffing on top of each one.
- At this point, you can place the lid on your CrockPot and cook the apples on high for 2 to 3 hours, or on low for 4 to 5 hours.
What to Serve with Baked Apples
Serve them warm with a scoop of ice cream (think vanilla ice cream, salted caramel, butter pecan, etc.). You can even drizzle on a little bit of butterscotch sauce or caramel sauce.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ's:
Store any leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.
Yes, you can substitute gluten-free flour, gluten-free oats, gluten-free cinnamon and nutmeg, etc. Be sure to check the ingredient labels on all your ingredients to make sure they are truly gluten-free.
Optional Add-Ins for Sliced Baked Apples:
You may want to add in some optional ingredients to give your slow cooked apples even more bang for their buck (although they're delicious just the way they are).
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Nuts – walnuts, pecans, sliced almonds, etc.
- When your apples have somewhat cooled, pipe or zigzag a bit of powdered sugar icing on top.
More Slow Cooker Desserts and Recipes:
Crock Pot Baked Apples
Ingredients
- 6 apples
- 6 tablespoons salted butter cold
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Slice cold butter into the mixing bowl, and work it into the mixture with a pastry blender.
- Core the apples and slice the top even on each apple.
- Pour the water into the slow cooker.
- Then stuff the apples with the oatmeal mixture, packing it into the apples.
- Place each apple upright in the water, and add a little extra stuffing on top of each one.
- Place the lid on your CrockPot and cook the apples on high for 2 to 3 hours, or on low for 4 to 5 hours.
- Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream and butterscotch sauce or caramel sauce.