Bloomin’ Baked Apples taste like apple pie with an ooey, gooey caramel center! This is an easy dessert recipe for fall and it’s made with Honeycrisp apples. Post is sponsored by Socialstars.
Every year we wait for the fall and apple season to come around! Growing up, we had an apple tree in our backyard. I remember my grandmother coming over to help my mom freeze apples. We had an apple peeler/corer that was a big help. My mom froze the apples for pie filling.
All winter long we would have delicious, homemade apple desserts. This year, we are already enjoying the apple season. I used some of our apples to make these delicious Bloomin’ Baked Apples. This was my first time making baked apples and I am so excited not only about how tasty they were but also about how easy they were to make.
Disclaimer: This post contains links to products for making this recipe. If you use those links, I may earn a commission. Learn more here.
Our favorite apples are apples which were developed right here at the University of Minnesota! Last week, I bought these apples in the Walmart produce department. They had a huge variety of apples with great prices! Walmart produce is fresh, farmer picked with a 100% money back guarantee.
To get the blooming apple look, you need to cut the apples. Slice off the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the apples. Scoop out the core with a melon baller or a stainless steel measuring spoon.
Then, use a thin paring knife to make two deep, circular cuts around the center of the apple. Next, turn the apple over and make narrow cuts all the way around the apple. Flip it back over and you can see all of the cuts.
Place the apples in a small oven-safe dish and put two chewy caramels in the center of each apple.
Heat butter and brown sugar in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir and continue heating for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir in flour and cinnamon. Divide the mixture over the top of the two sliced apples.
Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a large spoon to move the apples into bowls. The outside layer of apple pieces will spread out and the middle will stick together due to the ooey, gooey caramel center!
**Update…I made myself another bloomin’ baked apple last night and I had to cook it for 45 minutes. I would suggest that you check your apples after 25 minutes and then continue cooking them until they are tender. The cook time will depend on the size and firmness of the apples.**
Top with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with cinnamon. The ice cream will cause the caramel in the center to harden, so eat it quickly or put the ice cream scoop on the side. After taking the pictures, I immediately had to try these Bloomin’ Baked Apples.
Zack asked me what it tasted like because he could tell I was thoroughly enjoying it. I explained that it tastes like apple pie. He asked me if I meant for it to taste like apple pie and luckily that is just what I was going for! I’ve made these Bloomin’ Baked Apples three times now and they were delicious each time. My daughter and her friend loved them!
- 2 Honeycrisp apples or other crisp apples
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp brown sugar packed
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 caramels
- Optional toppings: vanilla ice cream caramel sauce, and cinnamon
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- To get the blooming apple look, you need to cut the apples. Slice off the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the apples. Scoop out the core with a melon baller or stainless steel measuring spoon.
- Use a thin paring knife to make two, deep circular cuts around the center of the apple. Next, turn the apple over and make narrow cuts all the way around the apple. Flip it back over and you can see all of the cuts.
- Place the apples in an oven safe dish and put two caramels into the center of each apple.
- Heat butter and brown sugar in the microwave for 30 second, stir and continue heating for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir in flour and cinnamon. Divide the mixture over the top of the two sliced apples.
- Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. (Check apples after 25 minutes and continue cooking until tender. Some apples can take 45 min to 1 hour to soften.)
- Remove from the oven and use a large spoon to move the apples into bowls.
- Top with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle with caramel and sprinkle with cinnamon. The ice cream will cause the caramel in the center to harden so eat quickly or put the ice cream scoop on the side.
Recipe Video
Here are a few more Bloomin’ Recipes for you to try:
Yumvilla says
Tonia these look delicious!
MEAl5 says
These were delicious.The recipe calls for unwrapped caramels.
Donna Smith says
Back to the baked apples. I made ten of them a while back when I had people in for game night, Instead of putting them in the oven, I placed them in the slow cooker just as people arrived. By the time we were ready for a dessert at the end of the evening, the apples were ready. I topped them with ice cream and they were GREAT! I will make them again next week when I have the ladies over for lunch.
Maret says
Delicious! Definitely a recipe to be used again….and again! I followed the recipe exactly using LARGE Fuji apples that I had on hand. They took about 45 minutes to be tender. I noticed there is a version for the slow cooker on the internet that I haven’t tried, but I thought I’d mention here. It follows your recipe and steps, but uses 1.5 Tbsp caramel sauce instead of caramels in the middle of the apples and cooks them in the slow cooker on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.
Peter Gardiner says
Do,have a simple recipe for baked apples made by a cuisinart pressure cooker?P
Jabber says
Ok…Who’s smarter than you?? Brilliant idea! I hope you won some big prize for this at a fall county fair. No matter what you put in it, the concept is great. I’m going to put warm Devon custard on them instead of Icecream and make them for our upcoming Canadian thanksgiving dinner. I’ll cut them up ahead of time, dip them in lemon water to keep from going prematurely brown, and put them in the oven as the turkey dinner is set out. What a fantastic Fall aroma!
Meaghan says
~~Silence! Several minustes of silence!~~ My children are in love with these! They are already telling me variations they want to try. (They love cooking and baking!) We made these with Jazz apples. My grocer posts signs by each type of apple describing them and their best uses. These are a firm slightly tart apple. Thought they would compliment the sweetness well. They were perfect! My uber picky, won’t eat anything except meat and potatoes, husband loved them! I really can not explain how much of a triumph that was for me!!
Planning on a couple big 13×9 pans of them for our family Halloween Bonfire.
Thank you! Thank you for this wonderful treat!!
Michelle G says
This was so incredibly yummy! And I don’t particularly like apples! It was easier than I thought it would be, and my family couldn’t stop talking about it. We will definitely be making this again. Thanks so much!
Rhonda says
Tonia these look delicious! Don’t really want to take them out after 30 mins to keep checking the softness once they are all gooey, so would I be able to microwave the apples once cut, but before adding caramel and anything else? I’m thinking if I zap them for five minutes to give them a head start would that work?
Tonia says
Thanks Rhonda! Yes, I think that would work! Enjoy!
EAWSumms says
I’m going to make these for Thanksgiving later this week! I’m wondering what anyone might think the best baking dish might be so that the gooeyness doesn’t spread too much from 1 apple to the other…? Also, do folks think it would be alright to either eat these cold, or only bake halfway, and then finish off right before dessert time?
Definitely looking forward to trying these!
Sandie says
Why not place each apple in a muffin tin to keep them separate? Would that work?
Patsy says
They have muffin tins for jumbo size muffins, they might work best because I think a regular muffin tin would be to small for a normal size apple.
Laura Hickman says
These look fantastic. I can’t wait to to try this on the weekend. It looks like it tastes just like autumn. Thanks for a recipe that looks impressive when served but is simple to make.
K Hall says
Can I assume the flour is AP and not self rising?
Tonia says
Yes, all purpose flour. Enjoy! ~Tonia
Leila says
Just made these without the caramel amaze balls, added another tablespoon of brown sugar. Thanks for the recipe…
Tonia says
Ohhh…that sounds yummy too! Thanks Leila!
Tyler says
I made these with a hershey chocolate bar in the middle. Incredible and it doesn’t harden with the ice cream. You can drizzle caramel on top if you want some caramel also. Such an incredible dessert!
Tonia says
I’ve wondered how chocolate would taste in the center! I’m going to have to give it a try. Thanks, Tyler! ~Tonia
Raven says
Oh my gosh. This was so good.
Used Dulce de Leche and homemade vanilla ice cream. Way more sugar than I needed in a week, but I still gladly ate it.
Would make again.
Tonia says
That sounds like a great choice! I’m glad you liked it! ~Tonia
Kathy says
These look amazing! Was wondering if you had to eat them warm or would they be good baked one day and eaten the next? Just wondering, thanks for great recipes.
rachael says
I cant wait to cook these up soon. Thank You for sharing!
Tara says
My daughter and I are making these right now. We determined that the more symmetrical the apples are, they easier they are to work with. Also, we used a grapefruit spoon to hollow them out with . The teeth on them work great for dealing with the core!
Amanda says
I got my apples fresh off the tree. DOESN’T Matter where you get your apples from honestly. If you want to shop Walmart go ahead. I just prefer fresh, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Anyways back to the main point. I used 10 Cortland Apples so I had to adjust the recipe a bit. My kids loved them. I loved it and I even brought some to my mom. I haven’t heard feedback from her yet. I will be making this again. As I have got over 100 apples to make something with. Apple pie, maybe can some apple pie filling… SOMETHING 🙂
Terri says
I picked up some big “Envy” apples at my local Shaw’s market this week which is a cross between Royal Gala and Braeburn. This is a perfect application. We get some amazing apples at our Farmer’s Market but they cancelled with all the rain :-(. I was at Trader Joe’s picked up their “Fleur de sel” Carmels, honestly they taste the same as any other camels. They are longer and rectangular and are 40g each. I’m not shopping for more, do you think I should go for 1 or 2 of these caramels? I can’t wait to try this recipe tonight.
Tonia says
Hi Terri! The Envy apples sound delicious! I would just see how many fit into the hole you make when you remove the seeds. Enjoy! I’ve made these bloomin’ baked apples twice already this fall!
Kammie says
I just made this…and I must say, it was so delicious! I made them in the individual Pyrex ramekins. I baked them about 40 minutes to make sure they were nice and soft. The caramels melted down into it and combined with the sugar, butter, and natural Apple juices to make a wonderful sauce. That was the best part!
Thank you fo the recipe–easy and made with ingredients most people have already.
Suzanne (UK) says
Goodness me. People who express a sense of superiority about “upmarket shopping” should remember that they have possibly swallowed the marketers’ message (Shop here. Yes it’s more expensive, but you’ll feel better about yourself because others will think you have money/taste, etc., and envy you). If I had a product to market I’d make d*** sure I targeted the shop snobs as it’d be far more profitable than working on those who are careful with their money. Recipe was “delish”, by the way. Thank you for sharing it with the world at large.
Lauren says
Would there be a way to make these amazing apples over the campfire?
Tonia says
Hi Lauren! I’ve never made them over a campfire but I have made them on the grill. You can find that recipe here: https://www.thegunnysack.com/2015/05/bloomin-grilled-apples.html ~Tonia
Terri says
Hey Lauren, these might do really well in a cast-iron dutch oven set right over the coals, I’m thinking the dutch oven with the lid on could be 375 F just keep checking for doneness, maybe use smaller apples. The carmels can do double duty in this recipe and to upgrade your Camping Some’Mores. Add the Carmel to the end of your marshmallow stick. So yummy. Let us know if it works.
Beny says
Awesome.. Most lovely one in my life
Marty says
This recipe looks amazing!!! Haven’t decided where I will buy my apples but then again why does it matter?!?! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe…your pictures are fabulous too!
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
I saw these on Pinterest and decided to pop over. My kids are grown but I’m on a street with a bunch of little kids and I know they would love them.
But still…am absolutely flabbergasted at the negative commentary. It’s OK if you don’t like Walmart but it’s not OK to come into someone else space and pitch your complaint; it’s like walking into someone’s home and whining about the brand of furniture they have or maybe the breed of dog they own. Move on if you must but show some respect for the author too.
I also run a food blog so I know firsthand the effort it takes to provide these recipes to readers at no cost to them. In order to do that on a regular basis we need to develop ways to earn an income. Many bloggers rely solely on ads for that income but it’s a pittance so to supplement those ads we work with brands; in this case Walmart. If you don’t shop at Walmart, then pick up your apples wherever you choose but be courteous; slamming Walmart is also slamming the Walmart shopper; in this case the author of this blog.
Think about that the next time you feel a need to tout your superior crap; would you walk into a friend’s house who has just prepared something for you and insult them? I hope not. So try not to do the same in this type of environment.
By the way…I think I’m a conscientious shopper. I shop at Costco, Sprouts and Walmart. The anti Walmart sentiment kills me. I get the same brands there as the bigger name stores but at a better price. If I had an issue with quality I would not buy produce there but our stores have the same produce as the Kroger store…just usually priced a bit lower. The ‘poor Walmart employee’ might be a myth. I talked to a woman in customer service the other day; she had been there five years, loved her job and was making $15/hr. And she was the first to say that if she didn’t think she was being paid fairly for her job that she had the choice to leave.
It’s not that I love Walmart above all else, but I do hate the people with such strong opinions about it that they take it so far as to disrespect the author of this blog. Making it a public forum does NOT give you the right to be rude. Period!
LINDA JACKSON HENDERSON says
Very well said!
Dianne Lenz says
very well said, we have a Wal-mart in the Yukon Canada up north, but don’t have the fresh produce department in it. I love the prices they have.
Debby Olson says
I agree with you so much. There are just some people that aren’t happy unless they share their opinions and their opinions aren’t needed nor wanted. I personally love Walmart but if I didn’t you would never know because you aren’t doing a survey but rather providing a recipe for free. Thank you for doing that! Deb Olson
Tracy says
Well said!!! Some people have no manners! Like I was taught if you have nothing nice to say……
Amelia says
Amen! My hubby is a Walmart employee, has been for a long time. He has retired from two other full time jobs and has always been a people person. He loves the fact that he gets to help someone, still do a good job, get paid for it and he has insurance benefits. That is important to both of us. Thank for the recipe. I will hopefully fix for dinner tonight.
Delanie says
These look wonderful! I cannot wait to make them! Whether I buy my apples from (gasp) Walmart or an apple stand (we live very close to the mountains, yay!), this recipe is dependent on only two things….the apple I choose and MY ability to make it. For all you Walmart haters out there: in my area, the mom and pop stores do just fine alongside the Walmart! People exercise their Freedom of Choice and shop where they want to shop! Imagine that! For myself, I shop where I want depending on what I am buying that day….the produce market when I’m buying just produce, the “fancy” store when I’m feeling extravagant, or Walmart when I need groceries AND household items all in one place. Oh, and by the way, don’t you all speak kindly about the place where YOU work? I thought so. Tonia is being compensated for using Walmart produce, BUT the opinions are hers! So….please remember that when you feel it necessary to say something negative just because you can.
Beth says
Yes, who cares where YOU bought the apples, Tonia? If they don’t like where you bought them, they can buy them somewhere else! I am going to try this recipe though I will probably go to Sam’s Club or Costco to get my apples! Don’t worry about the haters! Amazing site and the recipe looks amazing as well!
Danielle S. says
Like your response! Well said
Chris says
Hi Daniel, I randamly decided to look you up on the internet and noticed you posted on this blog.
Has it been 12 years since we met & last saw each other? Chris Az.
annie says
just stumbled upon this via a FB share. LOVE this idea!!! question: the recipe states 2 caramels per apple, but the picture only shows one per. are they stacked? did I miss something? 🙂
also, YOU GO GIRL! get yo’ payment on and shop where ever the heck you want! WalMart is not of the devil. greediness is. so is snobby-ness. and those who wish to judge you because of WalMart (seriously??) really need to find a hobby. maybe Hobby Lobby? hahahaaa
thanks for the AWESOME recipe. this fall is gonna rock! (I can feel it on my thighs already. harharhar)
Tonia says
Thanks Annie! Yes, they are stacked! Enjoy! ~Tonia
Donna says
Mmmmm! just found your recipe. Looks absolutely delicious! Just happen to have 2 Honeycrisp apples in the fridge. Guess what I’m making tonight. Thanks for your posting this recipe. Your pictures are beautiful! Hoping mine turn out as well as yours did. Will let you know.
Tonia says
Thank you Donna! I hope you enjoy it! ~Tonia
Susan Franson says
Sounds like fun to make always looking for different ideas for stuff .
Tonia says
They are fun! Thanks Susan!
Joyce Schroeder says
Haven’t tried the Bloomin Apple yet, but definitely will and all remarks about you getting paid by Walmart for using their name, I say good for you, Every penny help, sorry folks but I can’t afford Trader
s World and other higher priced places and they probably are wonderful, but it is about this wonderful looking recipe. Thank You Tonia I wish I need the secret to posting and getting paid I would do it in a second.
Sherri says
Hi! Loving this conversation! May I interject that Trader Joe’s is known for low prices and quality. They don’t carry everything but what they have is a great value, not like whole paycheck stores…I have worked there for years and it’s the best job ever! I can recommend confidently.😊