Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Baked Apples
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My Grandma Lucy just loves baked apples. of course we all do but they have always been such a treat for her. Growing up, it was a rare occasion to get them and she often tells us a story of the one day she got one for dessert. They were sharecropping in a field at a nearby farm and Grandmama and her family had walked over there in the morning to work. It was customary that when you worked the field for a family, they provided a mid day meal for you. It got to be lunchtime and they were cold and tired as they headed up to the main house. As they walked in the door, the smell of baked apples filled the air. “Those apples smelled so good. I’ll never forget that, never.”
They all sat down to eat their meal but Grandmama said all she could think about was those apples and she sat there trying to eat and hoping so bad the lady had made some for them. When they finished eating the lady who owned the house came to the table with two big old pans of baked apples, one for everyone.
Grandmama said “There was a lot of workers there so you know that woman musta put a good bit of time into coring all those apples for us, but they sure were good! We didn’t hardly ever get baked apples and we sure did enjoy those. They were the best things!”
I remember asking her, just a few years back, “Grandmama, why didn’t y’all ever get baked apples?” and her answer was so obvious that you and I would likely never think of it, but it made perfect sense when she replied “Because we didn’t have no apple tree!”
So today I’m going to show you the simple way to make baked apples, and how to do it in your slow cooker (or crock pot, as most folks call it). This is a simple recipe, prepared like they did it in the old days where you just core your apple, stuff it with some good stuff, and bake away! But now the bonus is that you can do it in the morning and come home to that same smell my Grandmama walked into all those years ago.
Now, I doubt I’ve ever made these the same way twice. It’s just one of those recipes you can throw together and customize to your liking or based on what you have on hand.
Today, I’m keeping it simple but I’m going to give you lots ideas to personalize it and make it your own and I want to hear your ideas in the comments on this post, too!
For starters you’ll need:
- Apples (about five fit into my slow cooker)
- Dried Cranberries (or raisins, or leave these out entirely)
- Brown sugar (I’m using dark but light is fine. You can also use white sugar if that’s what you have)
- Butter (or margarine)
- Cinnamon & Allspice (you can leave the allspice out if you like but I love how it enhances the cinnamon. Also, if you are a nutmeg lover you can add that as well. I’ve never been a nutmeg fan so I avoid it)
You can also add: Pecans, walnuts, oats, or anything else you come up with!
Place your brown sugar, cinnamon, and allspice (or whatever spices you are using) in a small bowl and stir them up really well.
Add in your dried cranberries or raisins and stir those up as well.
Usually when I cook with raisins or dried cranberries I like to soak them in really hot water for a few minutes to plump them up a bit before adding them to the recipe but these will be slow cooking with plenty of steam in there so there isn’t any need to do that here.
Core your apples.
I’m not a big fan of kitchen gadgets, mainly because I am unorganized and so I either lose them or can’t find a place to keep them, but I did break down and buy one of those apple corer thingiemabobbers. It is about the size of a vegetable peeler and it sure is neat! I like that thing.
After you core your apples peel off just a little strip around the top.
This is supposed to keep the apples from splitting as they cook but I mostly just do it because Mama told me to….
Now place them in the bottom of your slow cooker and use a spoon to fill each apple with your sugar mixture.
Then, take your finger and push the filling down in there and fill it up some more!
Top each one with a pat of butter.
You can also cut the butter into your sugar mixture but this works just as well and is less work.
You work hard enough as it is, it’s okay to take an easy pass.
Cover with lid and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 3-4, or until tender.
My husband loves these served with a scoop of ice cream.
Leftovers are great heated up the next day and served with oatmeal!
Remember to add nuts, oats, spices you like, and anything else to really make this recipe your own!
Oooh, how about serving it with ice cream and caramel sauce?
Ingredients
- 4-5 Apples (whatever will fit in your slow cooker)
- 1/2 Cup water
- 2 Tablespoons Dark Brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon dried cranberries or raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon allspice (just a smudge of allspice)
- 1 Tablespoon (or pat) of butter
Instructions
- Core each apple and peel a small strip from around the top of each one (about 1 inch). Place in bottom of slow cooker.
- Combine brown sugar, spices, and dried cranberries in a small bowl and stir until well combined.
- Stuff each apple with filling, all the way to the top, pressing down with your finger to make room for more filling. Top each one with a pat of butter.
- Pour water into bottom of slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours, or until tender. Serve on their own or with ice cream. Also great over oatmeal.
Print This Recipe“When bobbing for apples, an idealist endlessly reaches for the
best apple, a pessimist settles for the first one within reach,
while an optimist drains the barrel, fishes out all the apples and makes pie.”
~Vera Nazarian
Submitted by Jenny (thanks, Jenny!). I’d love for you to submit your positive or uplifting quotes to use in future Southern Plate posts. To do so, please visit my Give A Penny page by clicking here.
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Sep 19 2011. Filed under Crock Pot, Dessert.
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So happy you are posting apple recipes all week! We went apple picking this last weekend and I am scrounging for apple recipes… LOVE baked apples – can’t wait to try it in the crock pot!
Let me know how you like them Kristin! Oh I can’t wait for you to see the rest!
I’m sooo excited about apple week! haha! This one sounds delish!
Thank you so much Kirby! It’s always one of my favorite weeks, too!
oh yeah…. keep the apple recipes coming…. we will be going to Milburn Orchards in a few weeks to pick apples and want to have alot of new recipes on hand and ready for the bushels and bushels….. can’t wait
We went this past weekend, it’s so much fun! I always look forward to taking the kids each year. Hope y’all have a GREAT time (I know you will!)!
These sound so good….and look so easy to make. I think I’m going to buy apples, ice cream and caramel sauce…lol
WOOHOO! Attagirl!!!
Going down and getting out the crockpot, right now. This will be delicious with dinner or for dessert. And the house will smell Amazing!!! Can’t wait, thanks!!
Thank you Alecia! Oh I’m so excited.I just love it when folks try something I post right away! Now I think I need to make them again for us…
Love cooked apples. I do something similar, but I put red hot candies in the middle with brown sugar and cinnamon instead of the raisins/cranberries.
Wish we had smell-a- computer. They make you want to rush out to the store for apples. Thanks
I haven’t cored apples before, if you use a corer, does it make a hole all the way through the bottom of the apple?
yes, it just cuts that entire middle out, all the way through, like in my photo. You can also do it with a knife, just be careful
These look great – but I have a really dumb question. If you core the apples all the way through to the bottom, doesn’t all the yummy stuff you stuff in the middle just go right out the bottom of your apple while it’s cooking?
That’s why I was asking if using a corer cut all the way through the bottom of the apple, seems like some of the filling will come out….but I guess you can spoon the syrup made in the crockpot over the apples
I don’t have a slow cooker, is there a way to make these using the oven or even on the stove top? They look really tasty though. : )
Sure is Kelly! I just went back and added instructions on how to bake them in the oven to the recipe thanks to your wonderful input! Please look at the recipe again (it’s at the bottom) and holler if you have any questions. Have a great day!
Gratefully,
Christy
Those Do Look Delicious! I was wanting something to do with apples. You read my mind! Thank You once again for another.. Great and Easy, recipe!
<3 and Hugs!
What is the best kind of apple to use for making baked apples?
Best apples for baking:
Ozark Gold
Ginger Gold
Jonathan
Red Delicious
Golden Delicious
Jonagold
Rome Beauty
Winesap
Granny Smith
Pink Lady
Dixie Red
Hope this helps!
OH YUM!!!! I wish we had an Apple Orchard around Louisiana. I’ve looked online, but can’t seem to find any!
Oh I hope apple week includes a recipe for fried apples like the ones they have at Cracker Barrel! I’ll bet you (or your Grandmother!) makes something like them but better!!
It sure does!
Gonna have to try these soon. Wish I had one NOW!!
Mmmm sounds so good!
WOW! I can’t wait to try it. What kind of apple do you think would be best suited for this? I know some kinds tend to fall apart more than others.
I, too, love cooking with apples. Just last week I baked an apple-cream cheese bundt cake. I will eagerly read all and try some of your apple goodies!
Frances
What kind of apples do you think are the best to bake? I’ve used Granny Smith before just because I’m a Granny Smith apple fan. I’ve never made them before in the slow cooker but do plan on doing it tonight! Thanks bunches!!
My grandmother made them with red hots in the middle….YUMMY!!!! They were one of my very favorite things she made!!!!
I love, love LOVE baked apples! But I never thought to put them in the slow cooker. I’m going to throw some in this very day. I’m going to be watching for that fried apple recipe too. Have I told you lately how much I appreciate your wonderful recipes that are always simple but delicious? Bonus: My sons ask where the recipe came from, I say it’s one of Ms Christy’s, they dive in with no trepidation.
oh my, its almost my lunch time and my mouth is sure watering…mmmmm I can’t wait to make this!
My mouth is watering-love the old time comfort foods I grew up with.
I can’t wait to try these! I hope your family loves apples! It sounds like they’ll have them coming out their ears with all those recipes! I made bite size Apple pies from Taste of Home’s recipe. So good!! One Apple wedge wrapped in a strip of pie crust that had been covered in melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar. They were the perfect size for a Wednesday night church snack. I’m looking forward to more Apple ideas!
I was just talking with my cousin Saturday about baked apples and was wanting a recipie to try and here it is. I think I will try the recipe and use the red hot candies like a couple of others had mentioned.
I had to smile when I read “Because we didn’t have no apple tree!” We get so caught up thinking of the way things are now, that we lose sight of how things used to be. Today we just go to the store whenever we want and get whatever we want. That was not the mindset back then. They went to the store rarely and got only the things they needed and couldn’t do without. Notice how much she genuinely appreciated something as simple but rare (to her, anyway) as a baked apple that most of us can go to our kitchens now and have by suppertime. Love your stories, Christy.
Christy,
I make this recipe almost exactly like you posted, but instead of water in the bottom of the pan I put apple juice. It give the apples even more flavor and makes the house smell even more wonderful. Thanks for all your recipes, stories and ways of looking at life. I look so foward to see what you have posted everyday! Love ya!
I’m drooling!! I would make these tonight but crockpot is full of apple butter. Maybe tomorrow.
I’m thinking peanut butter, cream cheese, brown sugar and spices would be yummy. I use a melon baller to remove the core but not cut thru the apple. This keeps all the good stuff inside the apple. There are soooo many possibilities! Thanks for the recipe!
Can’t wait to try this. Is there a type of apple that bakes better than others?
Christy:
If you are starving or in a hurry – I have made baked apples in the microwave. (Start with 5 min and just keep checking until they start to cave in a little at the top.) Also, Mamma use to pour Kayro syrup in the middle along with butter if you have no brown sugar handy!
Thanks for the tip Diane!! I am going to have to remember that!
My mother used to put 1/2 of a peppermint stick in the apples along with the sugar and butter so it would slowly melt as the apples baked. When the apples were done, she would put the other half of the peppermint stick in the apple for decoration. Of course, you naturally could eat the peppermint stick along with the apple. Just an extra bit of “goodness”. Remember, “The apple never falls far from the tree.”
What a fun treat Jane!
My b/f’s mother did that in TX..You are the first person I could find that did it too!!
You are all so lucky ladies, I have never seen an apple hanging from a tree, bet it is a beautiful site! I have to buy them at the grocery store in a bag. Slow cooker apples sounds like a great dish. I have always baked them in my roaster. makes a good easy dish for a bunch of hungry men. Never met a man that didn’t like them. Loved your grandma’s story Christy.
Oh my goodness Jerriann, it is a beautiful site indeed. Buying them at the grocery store works too though, I hope you get to try them in the slow cooker, if you do let me know what you think.
I saw this post this morning and got them started after lunch! I couldn’t find my apple corer so I tried to do it with a paring knife—-egads! Didn’t work well at all–the apples were cracking in half no matter what size knife I tried. I just used one of those gadgets that cores and slices at the same time when you push it down. Hmmm…not exactly like yours, but from the smell coming from my slow cooker and perhaps a taste or two from a stirring spoon, they are going to be delicious over some vanilla ice cream tonight. I added only half the butter as your recipe and added some flour to thicken up the juices. Major BONUS POINTS going on here tonight, I’m sure!
Bonus points indeed Nancy!!
The tree had lots of apples but just small ones I couldn’t core. Everyone wanted baked apples. So I cut them in half, took out the cores and layered them in the slow cooker, sprinkled the brown sugar, spices and raisins over the top. Made 3 layers this way and started them cooking. It was not apple sauce, it was not apple crisp (crumble) – it was truly baked apples, just not the whole thing. So even though we had an apple tree, they weren’t maybe the “right” ones but we still got our baked apples YUMMY to the last sticky bit
That sounds YUMMY Linda!!
Should have mentioned, all the cores got cooked up and run through the colander and I got 2 cups of applesauce out of the apples. Will save that for my next pork chop or roast port dinner (if it lasts that long). I don’t let much go to waste
Hey, do you have an apple preference for this?
Sorry I wasn’t paying attn to all posts.
Our kids and grandkids are coming to Blue RIdge,GA this weekend to pick apples – can’t wait to see all the recipes for the week! Will be making these
baked apples for sure!
Thanks so much for sharing
What fun!! I hope you have a wonderful time this weekend and that you enjoy the apples!
We went apple picking on Saturday! Perfect timing for all your yummy apple recipes!!
Bountiful Blessings!
Fun day!! I hope you get to try the baked apples soon and enjoy them!
My family loves baked apples but I have never made them in the crockpot so today my 2 year old and I made them for dessert tonight. I cooked them on high and in 2 hrs they were more than done but absolutely delicious. Served with some vanilla ice cream and pour all that yummy sauce over top. Sooo good:)
I am so glad that you liked them Jamie!!
Hi Christy, I would love to take my niece and nephew apple picking. I have never done that, and love the idea of picking my own apples. I live in Rogersville, Al. Could you tell me where the Milburn Orchard is? Or any around our area where you can pick your own apples? I appreciate your help.
Oooh this looks SO GOOD! I will definitely be making these apples soon
The story with your grandmother is great. Doesn’t everyone have a memory like that of being really darned hungry and something tasting like the best thing they’ve ever had? 
I love your site. Just wanted to let you know that I made baked apples for a school thing one time and used reduced sugar squeezable jelly to fill the centers so it baked through and all over the outside. they were delicious and my son thought they looked like volcanos so that was a plus.
What a great idea Sabrina! Thank you so much for sharing!!
I love baked apples. Can’t wait to make these in the crockpot. I am also excited for the other apple recipes you are posting. I just planted a fuji apple tree in the backyard, so I am on the hunt for apple recipes so I can collect them and be ready when my tree starts producing fruit. I grew up with an apple tree in our backyard and love the memories of baking with my mom.
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I am so excited to try these…I have never had a baked apple in all of my life, but it is something that looks amazing. I have them in the oven right now – went out and bought the crazy gadget just for the occasion! They are only in the oven because I have the chicken cashew teriyaki in the slow cooker. Thanks Christy, two new meals I have to awe my new husband!
Congrats on the new husband Sara!!! I hope you both enjoy the apples, and the chicken!! You will have to let me know what you think after it is all done!!
They were both delicious – although I am wondering why my chicken got a little dry? Maybe I cooked it too long. The apples were my favorite! I cannot wait to make them again – this time in the slow cooker!
That could have been the case Sara, next time just cut your cooking time by a little and it should come out moist.
and thank you!
thanks for a great recipe..going to make it right now. So good for winter snack.
I’ve had them cooking the past 2 hours. Can hardly wait.
It would be great if your beautiful pictures of your scrumptious recipes would print with your delicious recipe. Hint! Hint!
The problem with that TJ is how much ink it uses.
I would love to but I’m afraid I’d get a lot of complaints. Im with you though! Thank you:)
Christy, I would just like to thank you for staying true to your roots and to the value of love of family and home. I applaud your success; but more than that I am so proud of you and how you have reminded us all that love and good old home cooked meals and memories can and will sustain us through the best and worst of times. Best wishes and keep it coming. Barbara in Tennessee