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    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Healthy Baked Apple Slices with Caramel

    Modified: Jun 17, 2024 • Published: Sep 22, 2022 by Dr. Erin Carter • This post may contain affiliate links • Leave a Comment

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    These healthy baked apple slices with caramel are a simple and delicious dessert that is perfect for fall, winter and the holidays. Easy to make and refined sugar free they also make a delicious breakfast or snack.

    Baked apple slices with caramel drizzled on top.
    Table of Contents
    • Why you will love this recipe:
    • Ingredients and substitutions:
    • How to make (step-by-step):
    • Top tips:
    • Recipe variations:
    • How to serve:
    • How to store:
    • Frequently asked questions:
    • Other recipes you will love:
    • Recipe

    Why you will love this recipe:

    • These baked cinnamon apple slices taste amazing! With hints of cinnamon and nutmeg these apples have the best fall flavour and the homemade caramel sauce makes them even more decadent.
    • They are really easy to make and you don't have to peel the apples (although you can if you want to). 
    • They are a great dessert to serve for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
    • They are naturally sweetened and refined sugar free so are healthier than many other baked apple recipes.
    • This recipe is a fun twist on an old-fashioned baked apple slices recipe that is naturally gluten free, dairy free, paleo, and vegan.

    If you love caramel and apple together you will love apple pie bars and apple pie oatmeal too!

    Ingredients and substitutions:

    • Apples – the star of this recipe, you can use any type of sweet red apple that you like. My favourites are Gala, Pink Lady and Honeycrisp. 
    • Coconut sugar – my favourite natural granulated sugar. You can find coconut sugar in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or in the gluten free or organic sections. You could easily swap this for brown sugar too, just note that brown sugar is not considered to be refined sugar free. 
    • Lemon juice – to help balance out the sweetness of the apples and sugar. 
    • Spices: cinnamon and nutmeg – nothing says a perfect fall treat like the combination of these spices. 
    • Coconut oil - these help the apple slices become perfectly tender when they bake in the oven. If you tolerate dairy you could use butter or ghee instead.
    • Dates - these are used to make the dreamy caramel sauce on these cooked apples.
    • Coconut milk - this is combined with the dates to help make the creamy caramel sauce. I recommend using full fat coconut milk for best results (low fat coconut milk is too watery).
    • Maple syrup - to add natural sweetness to the caramel sauce. You could swap this for honey as well.
    • Vanilla extract - to help enhance all the delicious and rich flavours of the caramel.

    How to make (step-by-step):

    To make the baked apples:

    Step one:

    First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Step two:

    Then chop the apples into slices (you can leave the skin on or peel it off, whichever you prefer) and place them in a 3 quart casserole dish.

    Step three:

    Now add the remaining ingredients and stir the apples well to coat them evenly in the sugar, spice mixture.

    Step four:

    Then cover the casserole dish and bake the apples for 40-45 minutes, until the apples are the texture you desire (you can make the caramel sauce while the apples are baking).

    Step by step directions for making baked apple slices with a cinnamon sugar coating.

    To make the caramel sauce:

    Step one:

    Place all the caramel sauce ingredients into your high speed blender.

    Step two:

    Then blend everything well until you have a smooth caramel sauce.

    Step three:

    Once the apples have finished baking, drizzle the caramel sauce over top of the apple slices. Then serve and enjoy!

    Step by step directions for making caramel sauce in a blender and then drizzling it over baked apple slices.

    Top tips:

    • Try to cut the apple slices into similar sized pieces so that they cook evenly and end up with the same texture.
    • If you don't have a high speed blender you could also use a food processor to make the caramel sauce.

    Recipe variations:

    • If you prefer the apples without the skin you can peel the apples before chopping them. 
    • If you want the apples to be even sweeter feel free to add more coconut sugar to the recipe.
    • If you tolerate dairy, feel free to use butter or ghee instead of coconut oil.
    • You can make the caramel sauce with either honey or maple syrup.

    How to serve:

    These baked apples are delicious served as they are, but you could also make them even more decadent by topping them with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, coconut whipped cream or vanilla yogurt.

    How to store:

    Store any leftover baked apples in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days. 

    I don't recommend trying to freeze baked apples. They turn out rather mushy when you thaw them if you try freezing them.

    A dish full of baked apples drizzled in caramel.

    Frequently asked questions:

    What are the best apples for baked apples?

    You can use many different types of apples for baked apples. I personally like Ambrosia, Honey Crisp, Gala, or Pink Lady but feel free to use any type of red apple that you like.

    Should I peel apples before roasting?

    Whether or not you peel apples when you bake or roast them is up to you. The skin on apples is full of healthy fiber so I prefer to leave it on but if you prefer baked apples without the skin peel the apples before cutting them into slices.

    What can I put on apple slices?

    A few topping ideas for baked apple slices include caramel sauce, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or yogurt.

    Other recipes you will love:

    • Apple Pie Bars
    • Healthy Apple Crumble
    • Paleo Ice Cream Bars with Berries
    • Gluten Free Lemon Bars with Cranberry
    • Dairy Free Brownies with Caramel
    • Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

    Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star review before you go!

    Recipe

    A pan filled with baked apple slices topped with a caramel sauce.

    Healthy Baked Apple Slices with Caramel

    These healthy baked apple slices with caramel are the perfect fall and winter dessert. Refined sugar free these apples still taste amazing and are paleo and vegan.
    4.56 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 284kcal
    Author: Dr. Erin Carter

    Equipment

    • Vitamix blender

    Ingredients

    Baked Apples Ingredients

    • 6-7 sweet apples, chopped (such as gala, honey crisp, ambrosia, pink lady etc)
    • 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
    • 4 tablespoon melted coconut oil
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 tablespoon organic vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

    Caramel Sauce Ingredients

    • 1 1/2 cups dates
    • 1 1/2 cups full fat coconut milk
    • 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
    • 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
    • pinch sea salt

    Instructions

    Baked Apples Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 350F.
    • Chop the apples and place them in a 3 quart casserole dish.
    • Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to coat all the apples.
    • Cover the casserole dish and place the dish in the oven.
    • Bake for 40-45 minutes.
    • While the apples are baking make the caramel sauce.

    Caramel Sauce Instructions

    • Add all the ingredients to your Vitamix or other high speed blender and blend them until you have a smooth sauce.

    Final Assembly

    • Drizzle the caramel sauce over the warm baked apples. Then enjoy!

    Notes

    1. If you want the apples to be sweeter feel free to add more coconut sugar.
    2. If you tolerate dairy feel free to use butter or ghee instead of coconut oil.
    3. Feel free to peel the apples if you prefer them without the skin. I recommend peeling them before slicing them. 
    4. Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 290mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @pureandsimpleno or tag #pureandsimpleno!

    DISCLAIMERS: The statements made on this website have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration or Health Canada. The information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. You assume full responsibility for how you use this information. Always consult with your physician or other health professionals before making any diet or lifestyle changes. This post may contain affiliate links whereby if you purchase these products I receive a small percentage of the sale price. This allows me to keep the blog running and I thank you for allowing me to do that!

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