Craving the flavors of both apple pie and sweetpotato pie? Get the best of both worlds in this cozy mashup recipe for sweetpotato stuffed baked apples! As a dietitian who loves balancing comfort food with nutritious swaps, these cute little baked apples are a perfect portion-controlled dessert made with wholesome ingredients. Tender baked apples are stuffed with a delicious sweetpotato filling with warm spices and a hint of maple syrup, all topped off with a lattice of whole wheat pie crust. Great for holiday desserts and parties – or to make anytime!
Disclosure: This recipe was developed in a paid partnership with the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need, along with selected ingredient notes and possible substitutions:
- Sweetpotatoes: The star of the filling! The naturally sweet flavor makes it rich without needing much added sugar. Plus, sweetpotatoes offer a boost of vitamins, phytochemicals, and fiber. I microwaved sweetpotatoes to make the filling the same day, but you can also use leftover sweetpotato casserole or mashed sweetpotatoes too. It can be a nice way of repurposing leftovers into a new dish. Just keep in mind you might need to adjust seasonings and sweeteners depending on how the first dish was prepared.
- Apples: Choose firm baking apples like Gala, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady. Softer varieties can get too mushy during baking. Ideally, you want the apple to be tender but still hold its shape when it’s done cooking. You can also try making this recipe with pears instead of apples; the cooking time will be slightly shorter.
- Maple Syrup: Just a little of this non-refined option is used to sweeten the filling, but you can easily substitute with brown sugar if you don’t have any syrup. You can also swap this for a sugar-free sweetener if you prefer.
- Whole Wheat Flour: It’s nice to use whole grains when possible, and whole wheat flour offers a hearty taste in the pie crust topping. However, you can certainly use all-purpose flour if that’s all you have on hand. The amount of ice water needed for the dough to come together might be slightly less with all-purpose flour, as whole wheat flour absorbs a bit more liquid than white flour.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by prepping your sweetpotatoes (if you’re not using leftovers). Poke a few holes in them, place on a microwave safe plate, and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave those for about 6-7 minutes, until both are fully tender.
When they’re cool enough to handle, scoop ‘em into a bowl and add the maple syrup, milk, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Mash the sweetpotatoes until creamy and stir so all ingredients are well-combined. If you prefer a super smooth filling, you can toss all the ingredients in a mini food processor, but I find mashing works just fine for this recipe.
Cut the apples in half lengthwise and use a spoon to core the apples. Scoop out a little extra beyond the core so there’s a well in each half. I like using apple halves rather than full apples for baked apples, because a) it’s much easier to core a half than trying to core a whole apple, and b) it makes for a very cute, portioned treat when it’s done!
Spoon the sweetpotato filling into each apple half and set aside on a plate while you make the pie crust topping.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt, then cut in the cold cubed butter. You can do this with a pastry cutter, but I’ve found that incorporating the butter into the flour using my hands is quickest and easiest. You want the mixture to resemble coarse sand.
Add the ice water one spoonful at a time, until the dough comes together, then roll it out on a floured surface.
Cut the dough into strips and use it to create a lattice pattern on the top of each apple.
Put those in a casserole dish and carefully pour half a cup of water on the bottom of the dish. Bake those at 375 degrees F for about 30-35 minutes, until the apples are tender and the pie crust is fully cooked.
Let them cool for a few minutes, then dig in and enjoy while warm! Optionally, you can add a little vanilla yogurt or ice cream to the top if you’d like.
Tips and Modifications
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheat in the microwave or oven when ready to enjoy.
- These don’t freeze particularly well, as the apple can change texture when defrosted. I recommend making them when you want to enjoy them.
- As an alternative to the pie crust topping, you could also make an oat-based crumble topping for these. Combine ¼ cup rolled oats, ¼ cup chopped pecans, 1 tbsp melted butter, 1 tbsp maple syrup, and ¼ tsp cinnamon together, then gently spoon over the sweetpotato filling on each apple.
- If you have small apples rather than medium, you can usually squeeze them into an 8×8 baking dish instead of an 11×7 dish.
- For a dairy-free or vegan option, use dairy-free butter (like Country Crock plant butter sticks) in place of the regular butter, and use any dairy-free milk alternative in place of the 1% milk.
- For a gluten-free option, use a gluten-free all-purpose blend that’s designed to measure cup for cup in place of the whole wheat flour. (The blend should contain xanthan gum for best results).
Nutrition Benefits
As a dietitian, I love this recipe for many reasons…
- Portion-controlled dessert – perfect for any meal plan
- Provides 5 grams of fiber each (thanks to the sweetpotatoes and apples) – a nutrient most Americans fall short on
- Only 3 grams of added sugar per serving
- Excellent source of Vitamin A and good source of Vitamin C
More Sweetpotato Desserts
If you’re looking for more delicious desserts using sweetpotatoes, be sure to give one of these a try:
- Strawberry shortcake with sweetpotato biscuits
- Sweetpotato protein whoopie pies
- Chocolate sweetpotato cupcakes
- Sweetpotato blueberry crisp
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Sweetpotato Stuffed Baked Apples
Ingredients
For the stuffed apples:
- 2 small-medium North Carolina sweetpotatoes
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp 1% milk (or any milk you prefer)
- ½ tbsp melted butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 4 medium apples
For the pie crust topping:
- ⅔ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 ½ tbsp cubed cold butter
- 2 to 3 tbsp ice cold water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Set aside an 11×7 baking dish or a medium casserole dish.
- Place the sweetpotatoes on a plate, poke with a fork a few times, and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for approximately 6-7 minutes, or until tender. Let sit for a few minutes until cool enough to handle, then scoop the sweetpotato flesh into a mixing bowl.
- To the bowl with the sweetpotato, add the maple syrup, milk, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt. Mash with the back of a fork or a potato masher until mostly smooth. Stir several times to make sure all ingredients are well combined.
- Cut the apples in half lengthwise. Use a firm spoon to core the apples, removing slightly more than necessary to create a well in each one (leave at least a half inch of apple along all sides).
- Spoon the sweetpotato filling into each apple half. Set aside on a plate for now.
- In another small mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt for the pie crust topping. Cut in the cubed cold butter using a pastry cutter or by using your hands to combine the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing with your hands until the dough comes together.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle or oval and cut the dough into strips. Top each apple with two vertical and two horizontal strips to create a lattice pattern, pressing the dough slightly into the filling and apple.
- Carefully place the apples into the 11×7 baking dish, cut side up. Gently fill the bottom of the dish with ½ cup water.
- Place in the oven and bake at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, or until apples are tender and pie crust is cooked through. Enjoy slightly warm!
Notes
- As an alternative to cooking the sweetpotatoes from scratch, you can also use leftover sweetpotato casserole or leftover mashed sweetpotatoes for this recipe. You may need to adjust seasonings depending on how those dishes were originally prepared.
- These can be enjoyed as-is or can be topped with yogurt or ice cream if desired.
Nutrition
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