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Last Updated on December 3, 2019

Few things are as comforting on a cold winter day as biting into some steaming, sweet red hot apples. Candy apples are a Halloween favorite, but these red hot cinnamon apples are bound to become a winter staple in your household.

Maybe you’re a fan of apple pie, but you want to watch your weight and cut out the crust. Or perhaps you love a good candy apple, but you know they’re hard on your teeth (literally!). After a season of apple picking, you may have so many leftovers that you don’t know what to do with them!

Raw apples are an excellent source of vitamin C, but sweet, baked apples with a red cinnamon candy glaze is an incredible seasonal treat that can easily work in the fall and winter.

Our red hot candy apple recipe is more bake than gaze, so you don’t have to worry about breaking a tooth or picking sticky candy out of your teeth for hours after you enjoy this dish. Instead, we’ve made it as simple as possible to whip up this dessert that looks fancy but really only takes less than an hour to cook and serve.

Why You Should Make Baked Apples

Apple pie is great. It’s an American classic! But it’s also a lot of work. Work and family take up most moms’ time, and when they finally have a moment to rest, the last thing they want to do is whip up a pie crust from scratch! We all know store-bought works in a pinch, but it never quite tastes the same as a homemade apple pie.

To help you get that sweet, cinnamon comfort, we’ve prepared this recipe and added a fun, fiery touch: melted red hot candies!

Baked apples are a great way to warm up on a snowy day; whether you’re serving them up fresh to the kids after they’ve come in from playing outside, or you decide to cuddle up next to the fireplace with a big bowl to share, baked apples are easy to make and taste fantastic.

The best part is that you can dress these red hot cinnamon apples any way you like. Maybe you’re not a fan of spicy treats, and that’s perfectly fine!

Our red hot apples recipe can be made milder with a light honey or maple syrup glaze, sprinkled with brown sugar; maybe you want to keep it classic with cinnamon and cloves. You can even take things a step further and serve them in a bowl with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream or a splash of cold, thick cream.

Red hot apples are the perfect combination of sugar and spice, and they’re truly everything nice about the holiday season.

Red Hot Baked Apples - pile of Red Hots candies that are used in this recipe — Do Red Hot Baked Apples really have Red Hots candies in them? Yes! It’s the surprise ingredient that’s unexpected and delicious.

Old-Fashioned Red Hot Apples Recipe

The candy apple has been a staple at state fairs for decades. Did you know that they originated in Newark, New Jersey, in 1908? Candy craftsman William W. Kolb was testing out his new cinnamon candy for Christmas when he decided to dip some apples in them. He sold America’s first candy apples in his storefront window for just 5 cents apiece. It wasn’t long before the sweet treats took off, becoming fixtures at fairs, carnivals and candy shops all over the country.

Our red hot candy apple recipe embodies all the taste and nostalgia of the original, but we decided to add the softness and comfort of a homemade apple pie. You can also make these a healthy recipe by using no sugar and relying only on the cinnamon and a tablespoon or two of honey for sweetness!

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