Paraben Free Honey-Cinnamon Baked Apples
Warm, caramelized, and fragrant with spice, these baked apples are the kind of dessert that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible. Each apple is cored and packed with a buttery oat filling sweetened with honey and spiced with Ceylon cinnamon and ginger — nothing synthetic, nothing processed, just real whole ingredients you can feel good about. For anyone navigating paraben concerns, the challenge is often hidden preservatives lurking in packaged sweets and flavored products, but this recipe sidesteps all of that by relying entirely on fresh fruit, pantry staples, and naturally derived sweeteners. The water poured into the baking dish creates gentle steam as the apples cook, keeping them tender and juicy rather than shriveled and dry. Once they come out of the oven, a final drizzle of honey and an optional spoonful of fresh ricotta take them from simple to genuinely special. It's an effortless, crowd-pleasing dessert that happens to be as clean as it gets.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 4 medium baking apples (such as honeycrisp or fuji)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tbsp honey
- ⅓ cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp ground ceylon cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp fine salt
- ½ cup water
For serving
- 1 tbsp honey, for drizzling
- 2 tbsp fresh ricotta (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Using a melon baller or small spoon, core each apple from the top, removing the seeds and creating a cavity about 1 inch wide and 1½ inches deep — leave the bottom intact so the filling stays in place.
- 2
In a small bowl, stir together the softened butter, 3 tbsp honey, rolled oats, Ceylon cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt until a cohesive, crumbly mixture forms.
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