Bacon Streusel Stuffed Baked Apples
If you’re in the market for a melt-in-your-mouth decadent side dish for the holiday table, you’re in luck! Bacon Streusel Stuffed Baked Apples are a THING and are the ultimate sweet-savory-salty combination for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any winter dinner party! Makes 8 servings.
Peanut butter and jelly.
Maple syrup and pancakes.
Pork and apples.
They’re classic combinations that we all know and love.
So this year for the holidays, I’m bringing these easy Baked Apples with a BACON STREUSEL to the table. Because nothing makes my tastebuds do a happy dance quite like a salty-sweet side dish!
I’ll be honest with y’all: We are NOT winning any health awards with this recipe, but the holidays are the time for decadence.
And I don’t know about you, but I like to think that bacon fat (and bacon) are decadent in the best possible way.
So let’s soak up the goodness of this sweet-savory-salty side and bask in its goodness.
Other awesome side dishes for the holidays: Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole | Cranberry Feta Brussels Sprout Salad with Candied Pecans and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette | Creamed Cornbread Casserole | Fresh Green Bean Casserole from Scratch
Looking for a recipe, but don’t know where to begin? I have so much inspiration for you over at my Thanksgiving and Christmas recipe indexes!
Erin’s Recommended Tools/Products for Bacon Streusel Stuffed and Baked Apples
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- A baking dish with taller sides, like the Emile Henry Burgundy Rectangular Baker and the Le Creuset Heritage Stoneware Rectangular Baking Dish would bake and serve this dish well.
- An apple Corer, like this OXO Good Grips Corer and this Cuisipro Apple Corer.
How to make Easy Baked Apples with a Bacon Streusel
Make The Streusel
First and foremost, you’re going to put together the STREUSEL FILLING! This stuff is gooooooood, y’all.
In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, and whisk ’em together.
Next, mix the chopped bacon into the dry ingredients.
Add the butter and bacon fat to the dry ingredients. Use a fork to stir them until the mixture is crumbly, like that of any streusel topping dessert. Set the streusel aside.
Make and Bake The Stuffed Apples
Once the streusel has been made, it’s time to prep and put together your apples. But first–preheat that oven! And fill a baking dish with tall sides with water. Set those aside.
Why does the baking dish need to have 2″ tall sides? Because we don’t want to scald ourselves with the water as we’re taking this out of the oven. Also, we want to give the water some space to rise when we add the apples.
Core the apples using an apple corer, and prepare to fill them immediately. (Don’t have an apple corer? Your job is going to be a little more challenging, but you CAN do it!
Once the apples have been cored, carefully spoon the streusel into them and place them in the prepared baking dish. Cover them with a piece of aluminum foil, and bake for 30 minutes.
Once they’ve completed that 30 minutes bake, remove the foil and bake ’em an additional 10-15 so that the streusel topping can brown.
Let the apples cool for 10-15 before serving, and then enjoy!
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips and Tricks
These sweet-savory baked apples are the PERFECT kind of side dish to serve during the holidays because they’re stunning!
That said, coring apples and getting them ready just before a feast can make the preparation a little more stressful.
Here are a few tips and tricks that I’ve picked up along the way:
- Cook the bacon early. Like, a day or two early if you have the time. Crumble or chop it up, and store in a food-safe storage container. Drain the fat, and set that aside, too, for later.
- Before you get started making these, make sure every ingredient has been measured and set out. It’ll make putting the streusel, and then the apples faster than you trying to measure as you go.
- Get some helpers! My older daughter adores measuring and stirring, so I’m putting her in charge of mixing the streusel ingredients this year. If you have guests and/or children who want to help, get them involved by taking on some integral steps. My suggestion is to let them do the streusel (especially if you cooked the bacon in advance) while you core the apples. When they’re done, you’ll be done, and the apples can be stuffed and baked!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you recommend cooking the bacon in this recipe? Or is it supposed to be raw?
The bacon should be cooked for this recipe, and we’ll use some of the leftover drippings, as well.
Personally, I like to bake my bacon in the oven for less mess (and less of a bacon aura.) I simply line a baking sheet with 2-3 layers of parchment paper, and set the bacon directly on top of the parchment paper. I place the baking sheet in a cold oven, and turn it on to 400°F.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon and how crispy you like it to be! Know that it will crisp up a little more once it comes out of the oven, so when you see it start to caramelize, pull it on out.
What can I make in advance as a part of this recipe to make entertaining easier?
There are a few things you can do to make the preparation of these easy baked apples easier on you.
- Cook the bacon. Chop and store it in a food storage container in the fridge. Don’t forget to save some of the bacon fat, too!
- Measure the streusel ingredients in advance. You can even toss the flour with the spices, and set it aside.
- Wash the apples so they’re ready to go!
What type of apples should I use?
Any type of apple that you like to bake with should be good for these easy baked apples!
Personally, I recommend using a Honeycrisp (a smaller one, if you can find them) or a Pink Lady. Both apples are incredibly crisp and hold that crunch without getting mushy when baking. You could also use a Granny Smith, too.
Bacon Streusel Stuffed Baked Apples
Ingredients
Apples
- 8 apples medium-sized, cored
- ½ cup water
Streusel
- 3 slices bacon cooked down and chopped into pieces
- 2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
Equipment
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Instructions
Make the Streusel
- In a large glass bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and allspice. Whisk together.
- Mix the chopped bacon into the dry ingredients, and set aside.
- Add the butter and bacon fat to the dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture is crumbly and just combined.
Make the Apples
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fill a baking dish that has 2”+ tall sides with the water, and set aside.
- Core the apples, and prepare to fill them immediately.
- Once the apples have been cored, carefully spoon the streusel into them and place the in the prepared baking dish.
- When the apples have been filled, cover the baking dish with a piece of aluminum foil.
- Bake the apples for 30 minutes covered, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the streusel topping has browned.
- Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10-15 minutes, then serve warm.
Nutrition
How do you feel about a sweet and savory dishes like this?
What dishes are you making for Thanksgiving? Are any of them decadent?
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
As far as I’m concerned, there are no calories on Thanksgiving. So, I’m all in on this!!
You and me both, Carlee! So glad we agree on going all in. 😀
I love stuffed apples, and I think I’d love them even more with bacon inside!
There is no way I’m worrying about calories on Thanksgiving…it’s my favorite food holiday! These look delicious!
YUM!! These are just gorgeous! The perfect treat!!
What a delcious, creative way to use apples! This looks so mouth-watering!
Love the bacon in the streusel – so clever!
I am with you on the bacon and apple 🙂
I cannot think of a better way to have an apple!