Cheesecake-Stuffed Baked Apples
This cozy dessert takes fall baking to a whole new level. Hollowed-out apples are stuffed with graham cracker crumbs and a cheesecake filling, then baked until soft and golden.
Serves8
Prep15 minutes
Cook30 minutes
If you’ve never stuffed and baked apples before, have you really embraced all things autumn? After all, it’s not fall until you’ve indulged in a decadent apple-themed dessert — one that scents the whole house with the coziest spices. But this isn’t your basic autumn dessert. No, this one takes fall baking to a whole new level.
These cheesecake-stuffed, caramel-drizzled apples boast all the flavor and texture — but none of the stress — of traditional cheesecake (no water baths here!). You’ll simply beat together a cream cheese filling (cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and spices) and then spoon it into the apples before sending them to the oven. Any variety of apple will work, but I always favor Granny Smiths. They’re firmer, so they hold their shape nicely when baked, and the tart flavor balances out the sweetness of the cream cheese filling. Slightly-sweeter Honeycrisps are also great for this recipe.
The graham cracker crust is my favorite part of a cheesecake, so you’ll also sprinkle a graham cracker-butter crumble onto the bottom and top of every apple. The end result is a buttery, cinnamon-scented apple that becomes soft and spoonable. The filling is light and airy, as it puffs up while the apples bake. Enjoy, my fellow fall enthusiasts!
Cheesecake-Stuffed Baked Apples
This cozy dessert takes fall baking to a whole new level. Hollowed-out apples are stuffed with graham cracker crumbs and a cheesecake filling, then baked until soft and golden.
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes
Serves 8
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 pound
full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2
large eggs, at room temperature
- 8
large apples
- 4 tablespoons
unsalted butter, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon
ground cinnamon, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon
plus 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, divided
- 3/4 cup
graham cracker crumbs
- 3/4 cup
granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
Caramel sauce, for serving
Instructions
Place 1 pound of cream cheese and crack 2 large eggs in a large bowl and let sit at room temperature until the cream cheese is softened, about 1 hour. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Cut 1/4 inch off the top of 8 apples. Use a melon baller to hollow out the inside of the apples, leaving 1/2 inch of flesh around the bottom and edges.
Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons to another bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon of the ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon of the ground nutmeg, and stir to combine. Generously brush the inside flesh of each apple with this mixture. Transfer the apples to the baking sheet.
Add 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs to the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and stir until combined. Sprinkle a heaping teaspoon of mixture into each apple. Set aside the remaining mixture.
Add 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, remaining 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and remaining 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg to the cream cheese and eggs and beat together until smooth. Carefully spoon the filling into each apple until filled to 1/2-inch from the top.
Bake until the apples are softened and the filling is golden brown on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool completely before serving. When ready to serve top, sprinkle with the remaining graham cracker mixture and a drizzle of caramel sauce.